What should my target blood sugar be?

Your ideal blood sugar target range is highly personalized and should be set by your doctor, but the American Diabetes Association (ADA) provides standard clinical guidelines. For non-pregnant adults with diabetes, the general target for fasting blood sugar (before meals and right when you wake up) is between 80 and 130 mg/dL. Roughly one to two hours after the start of a meal, your post-meal peak should ideally remain under 180 mg/dL. It is completely normal for your blood sugar to fluctuate throughout the day in response to food, stress, sleep, and physical activity. Even people without diabetes experience post-meal spikes; their bodies just correct them rapidly. The goal is not a flat, unchanging line on your monitor, but rather keeping your levels within the target zone for as much of the day as possible—a metric known as "Time in Range" (TIR). Endocrinologists generally consider a TIR of 70% or higher to be a marker of excellent management. Do not obsess over a single high number; focus on identifying patterns and trends to adjust your overall routine.