Blood glucose target range | Diabetes Australia (2024)

What’s the target range for my BGLs?

What is a normal blood glucose level?

For a person without  diabetes, throughout the day blood glucose levels (BGLs) will generally range between 4.0 – 7.8 millimoles of glucose per litre of blood (mmols/L) regardless of how they eat or exercise, or what stress they’re under.  

What should my BGL be?

When you’re living with diabetes your body cannot, or finds it hard to, keep your BGLs within a healthy range.  

Because each person living with diabetes is different, your GP or specialist will set target BGLs that are right for you. However, here is some information you can use as a general guide. The information below is a general guide for target blood glucose levels before meals and after eating.  

Glucose level targets

Find out more about Time in Range: What is Time in Range?

What happens when my BGLs are outside of these ranges?

An important part of blood glucose monitoring is to identify hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia.  

Find out more about hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia and ketoacidosis. 

Inconsistent blood glucose levels

Sometimes you may get readings above or below your target range and you may not be able to figure out the reason. When you are sick with a virus or flu, your blood glucose levels will nearly always go up and you may need to contact your doctor. There are a number of other common causes for blood glucose levels to increase or decrease.

These include:

• Food – time eaten, type and amount of carbohydrate for example: bread, pasta, cereals, vegetables, fruit and milk
• Exercise or physical activity
• Illness and pain
• Diabetes medication
• Alcohol
• Emotional stress
• Other medications
• Blood glucose checking techniques.

Contact your doctor or Credentialled Diabetes Educator if you notice that your blood glucose patterns change or are consistently out of your target range – above or below.

HbA1c – the big picture on blood glucose

Your GP or specialist may request you to have a HbA1c (or glycated haemoglobin) blood test. This blood test provides an average measure of your blood glucose over the previous two to three months.  

HbA1c is an important complement to self–monitoring at home (finger prick checks). Understanding your HbA1c levels can help you and your health care team make more informed decisions about your diabetes management. Some medications, treatments and inherited blood conditions can affect HbA1c results. Your doctor should be aware of your medical history to ensure an accurate HbA1c. 

Your doctor will recommend a HbA1c target based on your life stage and particular circumstances. Usually this will be around 7% (53 mmol/mol), although this can vary depending on your personal circumstances. 

More information