Blood Sugar Chart

Blood sugar level is an important and vital health indicator of a human being. It's a measure of the amount of glucose present in the blood. Glucose is a type of carbohydrate in the blood, from which our body derives energy. Glucose being the major energy source, functioning of all the vital body systems is sensitive to blood sugar level. This Buzzle article is aimed at providing a blood sugar chart for diabetic patients.

How is Blood Sugar Level Regulated?
Before going into blood sugar chart details, let's see the mechanism which helps in controlling or regulating sugar levels in blood. Sugar level is controlled by various feedback mechanisms in the human body, primary among which is the insulin mechanism. There are several catabolic hormones like human growth hormone, glucagon, catecholamines and cortisol that cause an increase in blood sugar levels while anabolic hormone Insulin leads to lowering of blood sugar. The monitoring mechanism which oversees blood glucose levels is present in the 'Islets of Langerhans' which are a part of the liver. When blood glucose levels are abnormally low, the pancreatic alpha cells release catabolic hormone glucagon, which causes pancreas to increase blood glucose levels by glycogenolysis.

Food intake and its digestion causes an increase in blood glucose levels from assimilation. When the blood sugar level reaches a peak, the 'Islets of Langerhans' in pancreas again come in to play and cause the release of Insulin from the liver beta cells. Insulin causes a decrease in blood sugar levels. Thus, an effective balance between the catabolic and anabolic hormone activity maintains the blood sugar level.

Problems with secretion of the hormone Insulin, leads to persistently and abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) and causes the disease - 'Diabetes Mellitus'. The treatment of this disease involves administration of insulin injections, which may sometimes lead to the opposite condition known as hypoglycemia, which is low blood sugar condition.

Normal Blood Sugar Chart
The blood sugar level in a human body keeps on changing throughout the day, depending on meal timings and activity level of a person. A severely diabetic patient needs to check his blood sugar level throughout the day. In an adult human being, there is an average of 3.3g to 7g of circulating glucose in the blood.

The average level of blood glucose is 90 mg/dl that is, 90 mg in every deciliter of blood. The blood sugar level varies from 82 mg/dl to about 110 mg/dl. Before a meal, the average blood sugar level should be around 90 to 130 gm/dl. The maximum limit of blood glucose may be crossed immediately after the intake of a meal and it may rise up to as much as 180 mg/dl. This lasts for a short period of time, however, and the levels go back to normal as the glucose regulatory mechanism springs into action.

Blood Sugar Chart according to Time of the Day
Here is a blood sugar chart that displays the normal blood sugar levels during various times of the day and around meals. This is a blood sugar chart for children and adults alike.

Time	Blood Sugar Level (mg/dl)
After Waking Up	80 - 120
Just Before Meals	80 - 120
About 2 Hours After Meals	< 160
Before Sleeping	100 - 140

Any value overtly above or below the above values is abnormal and if any body shows such blood sugar values, he/she should immediately contact a doctor. Nowadays, a number of electronic blood sugar monitors are available, which can easily help you in monitoring your blood sugar level, if you have a diabetic condition.

Following a special diabetic diet and following a regular exercise regimen, can help you live a normal life and keep diabetes at bay. Hope the blood sugar chart provided here and the information about blood sugar regulation was helpful.