What’s a healthy glucose range?

Glucose ranges vary slightly depending on your health status. Understanding these ranges helps you interpret your own data and take meaningful action.

For non-diabetic individuals:

• Time in Range (TIR): 70–140 mg/dL at least 96% of the time
• Fasting: 70–99 mg/dL
• After meals: under 140 mg/dL

For people with diabetes:

• Time in Range (TIR): 70–180 mg/dL at least 70% of the time (ADA recommendation)
• Fasting: 80–130 mg/dL
• After meals: under 180 mg/dL

Enabling Diabetic Mode in the Withings App will alter the default healthy glucose range on the glucose graph and how TIR is calculated. 

What are glucose spikes?

Your blood sugar naturally goes up and down throughout the day—but when those shifts become too steep, they can signal trouble. We call these shifts glucose spikes, and learning to recognize them helps you better understand how your body handles food, stress, and activity.

A glucose spike is a rapid rise—or fall—in your blood sugar level. These spikes most often happen after eating, especially meals high in refined carbs or sugar. They can also occur with intense exercise, stress, or a lack of sleep. While some variation is normal, frequent or intense spikes may be a sign that your body is struggling to regulate blood sugar efficiently.

Some foods cause sharper glucose spikes than others. Here are a few typical examples based on common responses:

• Pasta with no fiber or protein → spike of 40–60 mg/dL
• Sugary drinks (like soda or juice) → spike of 50–80 mg/dL, often very fast
• Balanced meals with protein, fat, and fiber → milder rise, around 10–30 mg/dL

The same food can affect people differently, but logging meals alongside glucose helps you discover your own patterns.

Repeated spikes, especially when followed by sharp drops, can lead to energy crashes, cravings, and long-term metabolic stress. Over time, this pattern is linked to insulin resistance, weight gain, and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.