HbA1c: The Key to Tracking Your Blood Sugar Over Time

If you’ve been told about HbA1c during a doctor visit, you might be wondering what it really means for your health. Simply put, HbA1c is a blood test that shows your average blood sugar level over the past two to three months. Instead of just checking your sugar at a single moment, this test gives a bigger picture of how well you’re managing diabetes or your risk for it.

Why is this important? Well, blood sugar can go up and down a lot in a day, depending on meals, activity, and other factors. A single glucose test might catch you at a good or bad time, but HbA1c smooths out those ups and downs. Doctors use it to decide how your treatments are working and if changes are needed.

How Does HbA1c Work?

Red blood cells carry oxygen, and sugar sticks to these cells. The more sugar in your blood, the more sugar sticks to the red blood cells. Since red blood cells live about three months, measuring the sugar attached to them gives an average sugar level over that time. The test reports this as a percentage — the higher the number, the higher your average blood sugar.

What Do the Numbers Mean?

For people without diabetes, a normal HbA1c is usually below 5.7%. If you’re between 5.7% and 6.4%, it means you have prediabetes — a warning sign that your blood sugar is getting too high. An HbA1c of 6.5% or higher points toward diabetes. If you have diabetes, your goal is typically to keep your HbA1c around 7% or less, but this can vary depending on your health and doctor’s advice.

Watching your HbA1c helps catch problems early and steer your health in the right direction. If your HbA1c is too high, you and your doctor can work on changes with diet, exercise, medication, or other strategies to bring it down safely. It’s a clear number to track progress over time instead of guessing how well your sugar levels are controlled.

In short, knowing your HbA1c is like having a dashboard gauge for your blood sugar. It shows where you’ve been and helps you steer toward a healthier future.