Health

What Is Considered A “Normal” A1C Level?

A1C Level

May 31st, 2021   |   Updated on June 27th, 2022

If you have diabetes, then it is likely that when you head to the doctor, they will want to carry out an A1C test on you. They will then give you a % number. So, what are normal A1C levels? What should you be aiming for? That is what we want to look at on this page.

What is a Normal A1C?

This is dependent on whether you are suffering from diabetes or not.

If you are a diabetes sufferer, then a normal A1C for you is likely to be around the 7% mark. If it is too far over that, then you aren’t managing your symptoms all that well.

If you are not a diabetes sufferer, then you should have an A1C between 5% and 6%. Anything between 6% and 7% can be seen as prediabetes. So, if you are in the risk group for diabetes, chances are that your doctor may want to carry out the A1C on you.

What to Do If Your A1C Level is Abnormal?

If you are a diabetes sufferer and your A1C level is drastically over the 7% mark, then you are going to need to talk to your doctor on how you can bring down your blood sugar levels.

They may suggest the use of insulin. Although, of course, there are other ways that you will be able to keep your blood sugar lower. Perhaps the simplest is through a decent, balanced diet. There are plenty of diabetes plans online that you can follow, and they shouldn’t be that tough to track down.

If you do everything right then, by the time that you have an A1C test carried out again, you should be back in the diabetes range.

If your A1C level is registered as pre-diabetes, then you may want to talk to your doctor about how you can improve your lifestyle so you don’t creep up into diabetes.

What to Do If Your A1C Level is Normal Levels?

If your A1C levels are normal, then you can just keep doing whatever you were doing before. Hopefully, by the time your next A1C test comes along, you will still be within the normal range.

How Often Do You Need to Take the A1C Test?

Unlike a blood sugar test, you do not have to take the A1C all that regularly. You only need to have it done at least once every couple of months. This is because it is going to give you an average of your blood sugar levels over the last two to three months. If you take the test too regularly, then this number is barely going to change and, thus, you won’t know whether to take action or not.

Final Word

While the A1C test may give you one number every few months, this is a very important number to know if you want to keep your diabetes in check. This number will help to ensure that you do not push yourself too far, which can make your symptoms a lot worse.