In some special cases, the recommended targets are even higher:
- Children with diabetes may have higher glycemic targets, in recognition of how uniquely difficult it can be to manage the blood sugar of youngsters.
- Older adults may have higher glycemic targets, due to hypoglycemia unawareness, other health conditions, and shorter life expectancy, among other factors.
It seems natural to wonder if it makes sense to set stricter blood sugar targets, for yourself or for a loved one, to lower the risk of complications as much as possible. Experts say, however, that it’s not usually possible to achieve perfectly normal blood sugar numbers if you have type 1 or 2 diabetes, and health authorities do not consider it realistic for the vast majority of patients.
“It isn’t fair, reasonable, or logical to expect people with diabetes to achieve perfect blood sugar targets every day,” José says. “There are too many variables beyond our control — particularly with type 1 diabetes — that we can only react to.”
In fact, bringing blood sugar levels too low can sometimes backfire. A landmark study of people with type 2 diabetes found that aggressively prescribing drugs such as insulin and sulfonylureas to lower blood sugar levels can actually increase the risk of harm.
And in type 1 diabetes, lower blood sugar levels always carry a risk of severe hypoglycemia, an omnipresent and potentially dangerous side effect of insulin use.