Control A1C Level
The hemoglobin A1c, or A1c for short, is a blood test (primarily for diabetics) that indicates your average blood sugar level over the past 120 days. When sugar is present in the bloodstream, some of it permanently bonds to a substance called hemoglobin; the more sugar in the bloodstream, the more bonded hemoglobin. The A1c test determines what percentage of hemoglobin has bonded to sugar, which can be translated to an estimated average blood sugar number. Keeping your A1c in control can help to delay or prevent many serious health complications.
Instructions
1. Know your numbers. Get your A1c tested by visiting and giving a blood sample. (There are also at-home A1c testing kits available for purchase at major drugstores; however, if you are unfamiliar with the A1c test, it's important to consult your doctor to interpret the results correctly.) A non-diabetic's A1c will be between 4% and 6%. The American Diabetes Association defines a diabetic as in control (and therefore at a lower risk of developing complications) if their A1c is under 7%.
2. Consult with your doctor about average blood sugar levels. The A1c test covers approximately the last three to four months of readings, so if you can lower your over the next three months, your A1c result will lower. Do not make changes to your diet or insulin regimens without discussing it with your doctor first; an endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in diabetes and may be able to provide more specific advice.
3. Choose foods with lower Glycemic Index (GI) ratings. A food's GI rating indicates how long it takes your body to absorb it; a higher GI rating means it causes to spike and remain high for longer. While it's impossible for a diabetic to avoid ever having excess blood sugar, it is possible to shorten and limit these instances, and avoiding high-GI foods is a key strategy.
4. Test your blood sugar more often. You may have a spiking blood sugar at times during the day that you do not currently test, which is contributing to a higher A1c. Try testing your blood sugar once an hour to get a more accurate picture of how it changes throughout the day; test before, during, and after a few meals to understand how different foods affect your blood sugar levels.
5. Consider a more intensive insulin regimen (in consultation with your doctor). If you have a high A1c and are currently not on insulin, starting an insulin regimen is an easy way to help to lower your numbers; insulin is what helps your body to process that excess sugar in your bloodstream. If you are already taking insulin, you may need to switch to a different type (different insulins are active for different periods of time, from 24 hours to two hours), or switch to more frequent injections to achieve tighter control. An insulin pump can provide even greater control, as you can tweak your blood sugar multiple times throughout the day.
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