Blood Sugar Chart by AgeNormal Ranges for All Ages

Blood sugar targets aren't one-size-fits-all. What's considered optimal for a healthy 35-year-old differs from targets for a 6-year-old with Type 1 diabetes or an 80-year-old with multiple health conditions. Understanding how targets vary by age and circumstance helps you interpret your own readings and work with your healthcare team to set appropriate personal goals.

The charts below provide general reference ranges, but they're starting points rather than absolute rules. Your individual targets should account for your specific health situation, diabetes type (if any), risk of low blood sugar, other medical conditions, and overall treatment goals. Always work with your healthcare provider to determine what's right for you.

Adult Blood Sugar Chart (18-65 years)

For most healthy adults, blood sugar targets are relatively standardized. The thresholds for diagnosing prediabetes and diabetes are based on large population studies showing where the risk of complications begins to rise significantly.

Fasting blood sugar—measured after at least 8 hours without food—provides the clearest picture of baseline glucose metabolism. The normal range is below 100 mg/dL. Between 100 and 125 mg/dL indicates prediabetes, a condition affecting an estimated 96 million American adults. At 126 mg/dL or higher on two separate occasions, diabetes is diagnosed.

Test Type	Normal	Prediabetes	Diabetes
Fasting	70-99 mg/dL	100-125 mg/dL	126+ mg/dL
2 Hours After Meal	<140 mg/dL	140-199 mg/dL	200+ mg/dL
Random	<140 mg/dL	140-199 mg/dL	200+ mg/dL
A1C	<5.7%	5.7-6.4%	6.5%+

Post-meal glucose tells you how well your body handles carbohydrates. Even people with normal fasting glucose can have impaired post-meal responses—a condition sometimes called "isolated post-meal hyperglycemia" that often precedes the development of full diabetes. Testing 2 hours after the first bite of a meal should show glucose below 140 mg/dL in healthy individuals.

The A1C test reflects average blood sugar over the past 2-3 months by measuring how much glucose has attached to hemoglobin in red blood cells. Unlike fasting or post-meal tests that capture a single moment, A1C reveals the bigger picture. An A1C below 5.7% indicates normal glucose metabolism; 5.7-6.4% suggests prediabetes; and 6.5% or higher indicates diabetes.

Children's Blood Sugar Chart (Under 18)

Blood sugar management in children requires special considerations. Young children can't always recognize or communicate hypoglycemia symptoms, and severe low blood sugar can be particularly dangerous to developing brains. For this reason, target ranges for children—especially those with diabetes—are often wider than adult targets, accepting somewhat higher glucose to reduce the risk of dangerous lows.

Children Without Diabetes

In healthy children, blood sugar regulation works similarly to adults, though normal ranges are slightly broader. Children's glucose can fluctuate more with activity, growth spurts, and variable eating patterns. The following ranges represent typical values for children without diabetes.

Age Group	Fasting	Before Meals	After Meals
Under 6 years	80-180 mg/dL	100-180 mg/dL	<200 mg/dL
6-12 years	80-180 mg/dL	90-180 mg/dL	<180 mg/dL
13-17 years	70-150 mg/dL	90-130 mg/dL	<180 mg/dL

Children With Type 1 Diabetes

For children managing Type 1 diabetes, targets balance the goal of good glucose control against the risk of hypoglycemia. Younger children typically have higher targets because they're less able to recognize lows and more vulnerable to their effects. As children mature into adolescence, targets gradually tighten toward adult levels.

Age Group	Before Meals	Bedtime/Overnight	A1C Target
Under 6 years	100-180 mg/dL	110-200 mg/dL	<8.5%
6-12 years	90-180 mg/dL	100-180 mg/dL	<8.0%
13-17 years	90-130 mg/dL	90-150 mg/dL	<7.5%

Bedtime targets are often set slightly higher than daytime targets because overnight hypoglycemia is particularly concerning—it may go unnoticed during sleep. Modern continuous glucose monitors with alarms have helped many families manage overnight glucose more safely, sometimes allowing tighter targets than would otherwise be advisable.

Seniors Blood Sugar Chart (65+ years)

Blood sugar management in older adults requires a careful balancing act. While good glucose control remains important for preventing complications, the risks of hypoglycemia increase with age and may outweigh the benefits of very tight control. Falls caused by hypoglycemia can be devastating. Cognitive impairment may make hypoglycemia harder to recognize. And the timeframe for developing long-term complications may be less relevant for someone with limited life expectancy.

For these reasons, targets for older adults are often individualized based on overall health status rather than age alone. A healthy, active 70-year-old with few other health problems might pursue targets similar to younger adults. A frail 85-year-old with multiple chronic conditions would typically have much looser targets.

Health Status	Fasting	Bedtime	A1C Target
Healthy (few chronic conditions)	80-130 mg/dL	80-180 mg/dL	<7.5%
Complex (multiple conditions)	90-150 mg/dL	100-180 mg/dL	<8.0%
Very Complex/Poor Health	100-180 mg/dL	110-200 mg/dL	<8.5%

The philosophy shifts from "how low can we safely go?" to "how do we maintain quality of life while avoiding dangerous extremes?" For many seniors, avoiding hypoglycemia and the symptoms of very high blood sugar becomes the primary focus, rather than achieving perfect numbers.

Pregnancy Blood Sugar Chart

Pregnancy creates unique blood sugar challenges. The developing baby is extremely sensitive to glucose levels, and elevated maternal blood sugar can cause the baby to grow too large (macrosomia), creating delivery complications and increasing the child's future diabetes risk. For this reason, blood sugar targets during pregnancy are stricter than at any other time.

These targets apply both to women with pre-existing diabetes who become pregnant and to those who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Timing	Target Range
Fasting/Before Breakfast	70-95 mg/dL
1 Hour After Meals	<140 mg/dL
2 Hours After Meals	<120 mg/dL

Achieving these targets often requires frequent monitoring, careful attention to diet, and for many women, insulin therapy. The intensive effort is worthwhile: good blood sugar control during pregnancy protects both mother and baby from complications and gives the child the best start in life.

Target Ranges for People With Diabetes

For adults with diabetes who aren't pregnant, the American Diabetes Association provides general targets that serve as a starting point for most people. These targets balance the benefits of glucose control against the practical realities of living with diabetes and the risks of treatment.

Timing	Target Range
Before Meals	80-130 mg/dL
1-2 Hours After Starting a Meal	<180 mg/dL
A1C	<7% (for most adults)

An A1C below 7% has been shown in major clinical trials to significantly reduce the risk of diabetes complications—eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. However, some people may benefit from tighter targets (A1C below 6.5%) while others need looser goals (A1C below 8%) based on individual circumstances. The right target is one that reduces complication risk while being safely achievable for you.

Factors That Affect Target Ranges

Blood sugar targets are personalized for good reasons. Many factors influence what goals are appropriate for a specific individual:

Duration of diabetes matters because people who have had diabetes longer may have reduced ability to sense low blood sugar (hypoglycemia unawareness), making very tight control dangerous. Conversely, someone newly diagnosed may be able to achieve excellent control with fewer risks.

Risk of hypoglycemia is perhaps the most important factor in setting targets. People with a history of severe lows, those who don't feel warning symptoms, or those who live alone may need higher targets for safety. Modern medications and continuous glucose monitors can sometimes reduce this risk, allowing tighter control.

Other health conditions influence target-setting. Heart disease, kidney disease, or a history of stroke may affect how aggressively to pursue glucose control. Some research suggests that very tight control may be harmful in certain populations, particularly those with established cardiovascular disease.

Life expectancy and quality of life are honest considerations. The complications of diabetes develop over years to decades. For someone with limited life expectancy, the benefit of tight control may not be realized, while the burden of intensive management is immediate.

Individual response varies enormously. Some people feel terrible when their blood sugar exceeds 150 mg/dL; others feel fine at 200. Some are exquisitely sensitive to hypoglycemia; others barely notice blood sugar in the 60s. Your own experience matters in setting targets that work for you.

mg/dL to mmol/L Conversion

Blood sugar is measured in different units depending on where you live. The United States uses milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), while most of the world uses millimoles per liter (mmol/L). If you travel, use international guidelines, or encounter readings in unfamiliar units, this conversion helps.

mg/dL	mmol/L	Significance (Fasting)
70	3.9	Low threshold—hypoglycemia below this
100	5.6	Upper normal / Start of prediabetes range
126	7.0	Diabetes diagnostic threshold
180	10.0	Post-meal upper target for diabetes
200	11.1	Diabetes range (random)
250	13.9	Check for ketones at this level

Quick conversion: To convert mg/dL to mmol/L, divide by 18. To convert mmol/L to mg/dL, multiply by 18. For example, 90 mg/dL ÷ 18 = 5.0 mmol/L.

Frequently Asked Questions