You’re sitting in the doctor's office, staring at a lab report. There’s a number next to "Glucose, Fasting." It says 94. You see a little range next to it that says 70-99 is "normal." You figure you’re fine. But honestly, the question of what should a non diabetic blood sugar be is way more nuanced than a simple pass/fail grade on a lab sheet.
Most people think of blood sugar like a light switch—you’re either diabetic or you’re not. It doesn’t work that way. It’s a spectrum. Think of it more like a tachometer in a car. Just because you aren't redlining the engine doesn't mean you're driving efficiently. If your fasting glucose is creeping up toward that 100 mark, your body might already be shouting for help, even if your doctor hasn't flagged it yet.
The Standard "Normal" vs. The Optimal Range
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is pretty clear about the goalposts. For someone without diabetes, a fasting blood sugar—meaning you haven't eaten for at least 8 hours—should be under 100 mg/dL. If you’re between 100 and 125, you’ve officially entered the "prediabetes" zone. Anything 126 or higher on two separate tests lands you a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
But here is where it gets interesting.
Functional medicine experts and researchers often argue that "normal" isn't the same as "optimal." A study published in The Lancet suggests that as fasting glucose rises above 90 mg/dL, even within the "normal" range, the risk of future cardiovascular issues starts to tick upward. If you’re at 98, you’re technically "normal," but you’re sitting right on the edge of the porch. Ideally, most healthy adults should aim for a fasting glucose between 70 and 85 mg/dL.
Why the lower target? Because it gives you a buffer. It means your insulin sensitivity is high. Your body is a well-oiled machine, processing fuel without having to pump out massive amounts of insulin to get the job done.
What Happens After You Eat?
Fasting numbers are only half the story. You don't live your life in a fasted state. You eat. You snack. You grab a latte.
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The real test of metabolic health is how your body handles a "glucose spike." This is known as postprandial glucose. For a non-diabetic, your blood sugar should stay below 140 mg/dL two hours after a meal. Ideally, it shouldn't even cross 120 mg/dL for very long.
If you eat a bowl of pasta and your sugar shoots up to 170 and stays there for three hours, that’s a red flag. It’s called glucose variability. Scientists like Dr. Casey Means, co-founder of Levels Health, have popularized the idea that these "spikes and crashes" are actually more damaging to your blood vessels than a steady, slightly elevated level.
Think about it like this: A calm river is better for the banks than a flood that recedes instantly. Frequent, sharp spikes cause oxidative stress. They make you tired. They give you that "brain fog" feeling at 3:00 PM. If you've ever felt like you needed a nap after a big lunch, you've experienced a glucose roller coaster.
The Role of A1c: The Three-Month Average
You can't talk about what should a non diabetic blood sugar be without mentioning Hemoglobin A1c. While a finger prick or a lab draw gives us a snapshot of one second in time, the A1c gives us the "movie" of the last three months. It measures the percentage of red blood cells that have sugar coated onto them.
- Normal: Below 5.7%
- Prediabetes: 5.7% to 6.4%
- Diabetes: 6.5% or above
Again, there is a "healthy" normal and a "technically" normal. Many longevity-focused physicians want to see patients between 4.8% and 5.3%. Once you hit 5.5% or 5.6%, you aren't prediabetic yet, but you're definitely trending in the wrong direction. It's an early warning system. It tells you that your average blood sugar is sitting around 111-114 mg/dL 24/7.
Why Your "Normal" Might Be Different
Context matters. A lot.
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If you are a high-level athlete, your fasting blood sugar might actually be slightly higher in the morning. This is often due to the "Dawn Phenomenon" or just your body being very efficient at dumping glucose into the bloodstream to fuel a workout. On the flip side, if you are chronically sleep-deprived, your numbers will look terrible. Just one night of four hours of sleep can make a healthy person look temporarily prediabetic the next morning.
Stress is another silent killer of "perfect" numbers. Cortisol, the stress hormone, tells your liver to dump sugar into the blood so you have energy to fight a saber-toothed tiger (or a nasty email from your boss). If you’re stressed 24/7, your blood sugar will stay elevated regardless of what you eat.
Age also plays a role. As we get older, our cells naturally become a bit more resistant to insulin. It's a process called inflammaging. So, a 75-year-old with a fasting glucose of 95 is in a different boat than a 20-year-old with that same number.
Signs Your Blood Sugar Isn't Where It Should Be
Even if your labs come back "fine," your body might be telling you otherwise. You don't need a medical degree to spot the symptoms of dysregulated glucose.
You might notice you're "hangry" all the time. If you can't go four hours without eating because you get shaky, irritable, or dizzy, that's a sign your blood sugar is crashing. People with rock-solid metabolic health can usually skip a meal without feeling like the world is ending because their bodies can easily switch to burning fat for fuel.
Other signs include:
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- Intense cravings for sweets or refined carbs.
- A "spare tire" of fat around the midsection that won't budge.
- Waking up in the middle of the night (often a sign of a glucose crash).
- Skin tags or darkened patches of skin around the neck or armpits (Acanthosis nigricans).
Real-World Strategies for Stable Sugar
You don't need to go on a "diet" to fix these numbers. It's more about physics and timing.
First, look at food order. There's fascinating research from Weill Cornell Medical College showing that eating your fiber (veggies) and protein before your carbohydrates can blunt the glucose spike of a meal by up to 75%. It’s the same meal, just eaten in a different order. Eat the broccoli, then the chicken, then the potato. It makes a massive difference.
Second, move your muscles. Your muscles are the biggest "glucose sink" in your body. When you contract them, they can pull sugar out of your blood even without insulin. A 10-minute walk after dinner is literally more effective than some medications for controlling post-meal spikes.
Third, stop the "naked" carbs. Never eat a piece of fruit or a slice of bread by itself. Always "clothe" the carb with fat or protein. If you want an apple, eat it with almond butter. The fat slows down the digestion of the sugar, preventing the spike.
Finally, watch the liquid sugar. Soda is the obvious villain, but "healthy" fruit juices are often just as bad for your liver and your glucose levels. You're getting all the sugar of six oranges without any of the fiber to slow it down.
Moving Toward Metabolic Health
Understanding what should a non diabetic blood sugar be is really about taking ownership of your metabolic health before it becomes a clinical problem. Most people wait until they are diagnosed with prediabetes to change their habits. By then, you’ve likely had insulin resistance for a decade.
The goal isn't a perfect 82 mg/dL every single day. Life happens. You're going to eat cake on your birthday. You're going to have a stressful week at work. The goal is metabolic flexibility—the ability for your body to handle those deviations and return to baseline quickly.
Actionable Next Steps
- Request a Fasting Insulin Test: Most doctors only check glucose. Ask for "Fasting Insulin." If your insulin is high but your glucose is normal, it means your body is working overtime to keep you "normal." This is the earliest sign of trouble.
- Calculate your HOMA-IR: Use your fasting insulin and fasting glucose numbers to calculate your insulin resistance score. A score under 1.0 is ideal.
- Buy a Cheap Glucometer: You don't need a prescription. For 20 dollars, you can buy a kit at a pharmacy and test yourself 1 hour after various meals. It’s an eye-opening experiment.
- Prioritize Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours. It is the single most underrated factor in blood sugar control.
- The 10-Minute Rule: After your largest meal of the day, do 10 minutes of light movement. Fold laundry, walk the dog, or do some air squats.
Your blood sugar is a dynamic signal, not a static number. By aiming for the "optimal" rather than just the "normal," you aren't just avoiding a disease—you're optimizing your energy, your mood, and your long-term health.