Enjoy the SilverSneakers store! What’s the Difference Between Blood Sugar vs. Understanding blood sugar vs. A1c is key to managing diabetes. Here’s what each one does-and blood sugar health support doesn’t-tell you. Sometimes it feels like test results from your doctor’s office are written in code. But when it comes to blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c, also known as HbA1c or just A1c, it’s a surprisingly simple one to crack. Whether you’re living with diabetes, at risk of developing it, or caring for someone with the condition, here’s what you need to know about the difference between blood sugar and A1c, plus tips on how to keep both in a healthy range. What Is Blood Sugar? Measuring your blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is a way of knowing exactly how much glucose is in your bloodstream at any given moment, explains Renu Joshi, M.D., an endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism specialist and the chief of endocrinology at UPMC Central Pa.
If you don’t have diabetes, your blood sugar is typically only measured during annual physical exams and if/when you’re admitted to the hospital for any reason. People living with diabetes, on the other hand, must regularly measure their own blood sugar. In fact, blood sugar monitoring is "the most important thing you can do to manage type 1 or type 2 diabetes," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Why? Because it’s important for blood glucose to stay in a healthy range, and regularly measuring it allows you to see what makes your numbers go up or down, such as eating certain foods, exercise, stress, or taking medicine. If your blood sugar gets too low (hypoglycemia), you might lose the ability to think clearly and function normally. If it gets too high (hyperglycemia) and stays high, it can lead to serious diabetes-related complications such as heart disease, eye problems, nerve damage, and kidney disease, Dr. Joshi says. How Is Blood Sugar Measured?
Blood sugar is measured using a glucose meter. You prick your finger and apply a drop of blood to a test strip, which is then inserted into the electronic meter. After a few seconds, the reading will appear in milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood, abbreviated as mg/dL. Some people prefer continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), which use a tiny sensor inserted underneath your skin to constantly measure your blood sugar. When your levels are too high or too low, the CGM sends an alert to a monitor or an app on your phone. How Often Should I Test My Blood Sugar? The ideal frequency depends on the person, so your doctor will tell you when and how often to check your levels, says Vandana Sheth, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists. At minimum, she recommends that people with diabetes test their fasting blood sugar first thing in the morning (when you haven’t eaten for about eight hours) and doing another reading after your biggest meal of the day.
People who take insulin-that is, everyone with type 1 diabetes and some people with type 2 diabetes-will likely need to test more often. What’s a Healthy Blood Sugar Level? That said, factors like age, the medications you take, and whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes can affect your personal blood sugar goals, so it’s important to work with your doctor to identify the best targets for you. What Is Hemoglobin A1c? Hemoglobin A1c is an average of all your blood sugar levels over the past three months, measured with a simple blood test. Since your blood sugar can change so much throughout the day-based on what you eat, how active you are, or your stress levels-a single reading done during an office visit isn’t that helpful for your primary Glyco Care dosage provider. They want to see the bigger picture of how your blood sugar levels are changing (or not) over time.
That’s where an A1c test is helpful. "Hemoglobin A1c is used to monitor how well you’re managing diabetes over time," Dr. Joshi says. It can reveal if anything about your treatment plan might need to change, and it’s also commonly used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. Consistently high blood sugar levels will raise your hemoglobin A1c, and consistently lower blood sugar levels will lower it. However, the two measures aren’t expressed in the same units, which can be confusing. While blood sugar health support sugar is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), hemoglobin A1c is given as a percentage. Why a percentage? When sugar enters your bloodstream, it attaches to hemoglobin, the protein inside your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs throughout your body. Everybody has some sugar attached to their hemoglobin, but people with higher blood sugar levels have more. The A1c test measures the percentage of your red blood cells that have sugar-coated hemoglobin. What’s a Healthy Hemoglobin A1c?