My A1C was 6.8 and then after a summer of dieting and exercise is was AGAIN 6.8 My doctor wants me under 6. Thus, the A1c test reflects the average of a persons blood glucose levels over the past three months. A1C is a blood test performed by a healthcare professional to measure an average of blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. No-one can be certain as to how much you can lower your A1c in a month, because the test will factor in the prior 4 to 8 weeks also. The A1c gives you an estimate of your average glucose over approximately 3 months. 6. These affiliates allow us to continue bringing you valuable, life-changing content. The good news is that if your A1C is on the high side, say, 10% or higher, it will likely start to drop within two to three months (in other words, the higher it is, the faster it comes down).On the other hand, if your A1C is 7.5%, it may take a little longer to lower A1C levels. 3 (August 2018): 27987. If you (almost) never experience hypoglycemia, your A1c technically cannot be too low. Sleep deprivation. Resting heart rate is in the low 40s and the cardiologist told me to decrease the amount I exercise. Sometimes, things you may not even think about can affect your blood sugar, which can lead to serious complications, such as heart attacks, kidney disease, blindness, or amputation. Not sure how much from my legs and hips but my jeans are loose in the thighs and hips. Is it better to have higher or lower blood sugar. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. Cardio, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, biking, or dancing, are all excellent types of exercise, and as little as 20-30 minutes a day can make a significant difference when it comes to improving insulin resistance and managing blood sugar levels. Glucose has an affinity for RBC's, so the higher your glucose level, the more glucose will be "stuck" to your RBC's. This is what gives the A1c reading. You must log in or register to reply here. Without doubt, each of these benefits trumped the temptation of fried foods and refined carbohydrates. Who would be included in this group? "Treat the patient, not the number." Annals of Internal Medicine, March 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12414 This involves exercise, healthy diet, weight loss, and not smoking. If youre insulin-dependent and consistently have high blood sugars in the morning, getting your blood sugar fluctuations and A1c down might be as simple as adjusting your nighttime basal insulin. 248K subscribers Subscribe 27K views 2 years ago Link to ALL Beat Diabetes Videos: /. The good news is that if your A1C is on the high side, say, 10% or higher, it will likely start to drop within two to three months (in other words, the higher it is, the faster it comes down). Should You Drink Tequila If You Have Diabetes? The doctor simply pricks your finger (or ear if you prefer) and takes a tiny blood sample. (2019). If I was higher than 13.3 then it could have been a 4 or 5 point drop, who knows how high I was. *13% of people taking placebo saw their A1C drop below 7%, compared with 38% of people taking JARDIANCE 10 mg and 39% of those taking JARDIANCE 25 mg. Fasting blood sugar increased 12 points (mg/dL) in people taking placebo, while those taking JARDIANCE 10 mg and 25 mg saw their . All rights reserved. Im happy. How much can your A1C drop in 3 months? 2023 Healthline Media LLC. Do you know what a good A1c target is, how to lower your A1c, and how quickly you can lower your A1c safely? We as doctors were supposed to first encourage diet and exercise, all that good lifestyle change stuff, which is very well studied and shown to decrease blood sugars significantly. Unfortunately, she fell into the trap of believing that low-fat dairy products and lean meats were health foods. Rice is a good source of protein. When she was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a dangerously high A1c, Tina was ashamed of her diagnosis. A1C or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) show as a percentage. Setting a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine later in the day, and limiting screen time before bed may be beneficial to ensure you get enough sleep each night. I never saw it go that low. If youve had treatments for type 2 diabetes for several years or more, a sudden change in your ability to manage your A1C levels might be a sign of LADA. Did I do anything wrong? She is a Certified Personal Trainer specializing in diabetes. Cyrus earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003, then earned a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 2012. Yes, uncontrolled blood sugars can lead to very bad things, but patients should get all the information they need to balance the risks and benefits of any blood sugar control plan. The doctor simply pricks your finger (or ear if you prefer) and takes a tiny blood sample. But each person is different and my Type 2 . In that case, focusing on increasing time-in-range is much more important than further lowering your A1c. It means that if you do NOT live with diabetes, your A1c is expected to be below 5.7%. It was a rough summer. Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight lossfrom exercises to build a stronger core to advice on treating cataracts. Whats more, one 2015 study found that sleep disturbances could link to higher levels of A1C and impaired blood sugar levels. We are always told that having a low A1c is an important goal in our diabetes management, but do you know why? For lunch, she has a salad with a baked potato, or brown rice with a hearty bean chili. Not only is that very frustrating, scary, and annoying, but it can also affect your A1c and time-in-range negatively. One can even drop it to normal levels with a strict diet and medications. There is little to no evidence for any meaningful benefit of intervening to achieve a target A1c in these populations; there is plenty of evidence for harm. By making a conscious choice of which type of nutrition plan to follow (the majority of the time), you can more easily establish healthy habits that will benefit not only your overall health but also your daily blood sugar levels, and thereby your A1c. I only tested twice because I got a 4.8 the first time. Hi Granny hope it all works for you, the previous posters are no longer here. To live longer and healthier and avoid both the complications of diabetes as well as the risks of medications, theres this amazing thing called lifestyle change. I have seen firsthand how enthusiastic attention to the A1c can be helpful as well as harmful for patients. for FREE from the New York Times Bestselling Book Mastering Diabetes. The A1C testalso known as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c testis a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. The a1c test shows the level of glucose in the blood over the past 3 months. How A1c is calculated. Quick note: HEPA is an acronym for "high-efficiency particulate air filter . So is A1c a bad way to gauge whether your diabetes management is on track? I proved to myself that they are not accurate. As I wrote in my post about which diet is best for people with diabetes, it is very possible to have great blood sugar control on a medium (or even high) carb diet, as long as you experiment, take notes, and learn to take the right amounts of insulin for the carbs you are eating. Good luck with it, Granny. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Re the home tests (A1c) I have only used one at a time (save the second for a month down the road or so). Remember what your A1C measures: your average blood sugars over the past three months. Bruss, Matthew D., Cyrus F. Khambatta, Maxwell A. Ruby, Ishita Aggarwal, and Marc K. Hellerstein. My father had diabetes and had a major stroke at age 62 and died of a presumed heart attack at 67. If you dont get enough iron in your diet, consider talking with a doctor about whether supplementation may be beneficial to increase iron levels and manage your blood sugar. Lowering your A1c to the recommended range will reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications significantly: Achieving an A1c in the recommended range is, therefore, one of the most important things you can do to improve your long-term health when you live with diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes are advised to keep their levels below 7% to reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease and other problems associated with elevated blood sugars. If the levels still werent at goal, then it was time to start insulin injections. However, it may not be a good idea to lower your A1c so quickly, as I will explain below. I guess if I took two in the same day and they were that far apart, I would hope for the best at the next lab test, or get another two-pack and take one test and use the best out of 3. 1 The A1C test is also the primary test used for diabetes management. For example, we generally aim for very tight A1c levels during pregnancy and more conservative targets in young children and the elderly. Shorter sleep duration is associated with poorer glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients with untreated sleep-disordered breathing. Some, like Dr. Sheri Colberg, even think that simply looking at carbs when estimating blood sugar impact (and dosing insulin) is an outdated and inefficient way to perceive diabetes management and that you should focus more on total calories (read more here). While exercise is essential for building and maintaining good health and improving insulin sensitivity, it can be a double-edged sword if it constantly throws your blood sugars for a loop. The test requires a sample of your blood. To learn more about blood sugar levels, please read What are Normal Blood Sugar Levels. An A1c of 7% roughly translates to an average blood sugar of 154 mg/dl (8.6 mmol/L) as you can see from this conversion chart. Your A1C result is an indicator of your typical blood glucose levels over the last 2-3 months, giving you and your healthcare practitioner an accurate picture of your situation. (pdf) Introduction The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects almost $5 trillion in individual income, corporate income, and payroll taxes each year, but the burden of our tax system is much more than that. Personalized coaching puts you in immediate control of your diabetes health, helps you gain energy, improves your quality of life, and reduces or eliminates your meds. You can find home test kits on Amazon and in some pharmacies. You may have heard that certain types of alcohol can affect your blood sugar levels. For example, if your A1C was 10%, it may drop to 8% in 3 months. 4 (April 2013): 152839. As discussed, your A1C, unlike a blood glucose test, measures your average blood sugar over a period of 2 to 3 months. Sugarcane juice is an increasingly popular drink that's often marketed as a health beverage, but you may wonder if it's safe for people with diabetes, A meta-review published by The BMJ outlined how much is too much when it comes to added sugar. Glucose has an affinity for RBC's, so the higher your glucose level, the more glucose will be "stuck" to your RBC's. The red blood cells in the body form constantly and die as well, so they live for about three months. Association between the presence of iron deficiency anemia and hemoglobin A1c in Korean adults. So it really depends what you BG was doing then. I found a new dr and she gave me an order for the lab. The recommendations go on to say that for patients who achieve an A1c below 6.5% with medications, we should decrease or even discontinue those drugs. Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT. Laugesen E, et al. Scientific Publications: You . I love dates which are a high sugar fruit. I want to make an important point here:increasing your diabetes medication is not a sign of failure! Optimally, youd have an A1c below 7% accompanied by a low blood sugar variance (high time-in-range). BONUS! As you have said, you get 2 test kits. 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