I was chatting with someone tonight and they were shocked that I would think to eat my snack when I was at 4.3 (78.4). But, I was just heading to play with some kids who I was taking care of and we were playing some very active sports, so I thought I had better eat and make sure i didn’t go low while playing with them. It worked as when we were done I was at 5.4. My friend said 5.0 was considered a high number now…and 4 was normal range. They wanted to know why i was keeping my sugars so high, as i keep mine as close to 5-6 as possible.(which has been a BIG struggle lately). I was surprised and wondering when did that change? My friend said the diabetes rise is so high because people are considered diabetic in the 5 range. I think that is crazy!
Is your Friend a Diabetic? If so, he/she is misguiding you. At 4.0 mmol/L, that is a close low waiting to happen. Not even mentioning your exercising. YOU did the right thing in having something to eat. 5.0 mmol/L is a normal blood sugar. You are Right…they are Wrong. Good job! 
This all really depends. A 4.3 mmol/L is a perfectly normal fasting blood sugar. If you are a type 2 (not on insulin or Sulfonylureas), there is no reason you can’t just go do some sports. After eating, a non-diabetic may well go as high as 9 mmol/L (160 mg/dl) and still be considered normal.
If you are type 1, then this is all different. If you have insulin on board and you are at 4.3, you need to take some actions to properly maintain blood sugars during exercise.
Your friend doesn’t know what he or she is talking about! 5.0 (90) is a perfect number - even for before meals. The 4.3 (78.4) number you mentioned is exactly when you would be supposed to eat. I would be elated if I could keep my numbers between 5 and 6 (90 and 108)! The fact that your friend is saying “the diabetes rise is so high is because people are considered diabetic in the 5 range” shows she doesn’t know what she is talking about. Unless…is there a chance she is talking about A1C? That wouldn’t make much sense either because people are not considered pre-diabetic till 5.7 and diabetic at 6.5.
Also, you will have to account for the bg dropping after you finish playing. I tend to drop at least another 30 to 60 min after I finish physical activity, depending on how strenuous. I am type 1, but from what I know of my type 2 friends, that is pretty common for them, too.
I run tight but always snack up to about 120 (6.7) before exercise. Otherwise I tend to go low. Your friend has no clue. The diagnostic cutoff for diabetes from a fasting blood sugar is 126 (7).
Maurie
My friend is not diabetic but is married to a prediabetic and is lately full of information…where they get it I don’t know. And they were talking about the fasting numbers being normal around 4. A1c is to be around 4-5 to be normal. I am not very good controlled as I am at 8.1. 
So yesterday was a GREAT day for me numbers wise.
Glad to know I am not doing it all wrong I am on glyburide and insulin (NPH) so I do tend to drop if active and go way to high if I am not. Being active felt really good. we had fun.
Yep, consider the source…lol. Fasting numbers should be anywhere under 100. As for A1C, it really depends how you define normal (and I doubt your friend and her husband have thought it through to that much detail). An A1C from 4.0 to 5.0 is normal for a non-diabetic. (I’m assuming we all use the same number scale for A1C? There are some people on here who believe diabetics can and should keep their numbers in “normal” range, as does Dr. Bernstein, author of “The Diabetes Solution”. For many of us, for various reasons we’re not that strict. And many doctors get really nervous when A1C’s get that low because they worry the number, which is an average, comes at the expense of too many lows. The goal for PWD is “under 7.0”. I’m personally happy with being in the lower 6’s.
One suggestion: NPH is not a very smooth insulin, so you will have highs and lows. You might consider asking your doctor to put you on a basal/bolus combination (a fast acting insulin such as Apidra, Humolog or Novolog for meals, and a long-acting insulin such as Levemir or Lantus for your “background insulin”)
Under 100 fasting is normal & sad that 126 is the cutoff reading. Makes you question how many undiagnosed diabetics are walking around.
Agree. Good point about natural insulin. Delivery far exceeds our crude injection into fat method.
But alas 126 is the technical cutoff for a diagnosis of diabetes and I brought that number up in response to the statement that the reason that there are so many more diabetics being diagnosed now is that the criteria for diabetes is a FBS of 5 (90).
We also need something more sophisticated than 85 is normal and anything above that is well on the road to diabetes and resulting complications.
Hi Alan,
I was confounding you with other advocates for “normalized blood sugars” in my past. I apologize for misrepresenting your position. Just curious - what is the standard deviation around that 83? I was responding in my original post to the OP’s friend’s statement that 5 (90) is considered a high number now. If 90 is high there isn’t too much room above 85 to be normal
Maurie
I agree Alan…lol
I started with a new dr. and he debated changing my meds last visit in July,but i was dealing with alot of stress and he’s hoping that is all my highs are from. So he said if things don’t change in 3 months, we do meds change and maybe add insulin instead of the pills. So maybe that is my change. I have heard it works good, but am kinda scared to change medications.I have had NPH for about 5.5 years now.But if it does as good a job as everyone says, i will give try. Thanks.