Severe hypoglycemia isn't a number on a meter. NIDDK defines it as a low you can't treat yourself — and says to call 911 right away after glucagon.

DKA symptoms can appear while a meter reads normal. In FDA-reviewed cases on SGLT2 inhibitors, median glucose was 211 mg/dL, not the classic 250-plus.

Blood sugar 300 is an action threshold, not a diagnostic one. CDC now says check ketones at 250, not the 240 most articles still repeat.

Time in range above 70% is the adult CGM target, but older adults are set at above
50%, and pregnancy uses a lower 63–140 mg/dL band entirely.

Reactive hypoglycemia can't be confirmed by a home meter — accuracy is poorest at exactly the low readings that matter. Here's what a lab draw shows.

The dawn phenomenon is not a rebound from a low. Across 4,705 nights in 2,600 people with type 2 diabetes, fasting glucose ran lower after hypoglycemia.

Medications that raise blood sugar rarely come with a number. Steroids move it in 32.3% of people without diabetes; statins shift A1C 0.06-0.08%.

Lowering blood sugar starts with one number: CDC puts the two-hour post-meal target under 180 mg/dL. What works within an hour is a short list.

Blood sugar target over 65 loosens for a reason: insulin users past 80 reach the ER for insulin-related lows 2.5 times as often as those 45 to 64.

Normal blood sugar for a child follows the same thresholds as adults. The age-by-age charts everywhere online are retired ADA type 1 targets from 2011.