The Importance of Glucose Monitoring and Glucometers

Understanding blood glucose levels and effects of diabetes

One of your most effective weapons in tackling any illness or disease is the right knowledge. This includes diabetes. The more you know about it, the better you're equipped to deal with it.

Tackling diabetes with knowledge

Even though you will need glucose monitors to control your diabetes, it helps to know what you’re up against, as there are mainly three types of diabetes:

• Type 1: Here the body does not make insulin
• Type 2: Utilization of insulin is hampered along with less production
• Gestational: During pregnancy, mostly goes away later

The first step in ensuring that you don't end up with diabetes is to follow a healthy lifestyle and do regular check ups with your doctor, including testing your blood for diabetes.

Blood Glucose

It is also called blood sugar and is the sugar that the blood carries to the body cells to supply energy in order to perform various activities. The food we consume is the source of this sugar. A human being with normal health can passively maintain his/her blood glucose level and does not need glucose monitors.

Normal range

The normal level of glucose in the blood is tested during the course of fasting, is approximately in the range of 3.89 to 5.5 mmol/L (which translates to 70-100 mg /dL). Moreover, the mean blood glucose level as tested by glucose monitors is about 100 mg/dL. This is not constant in any human and varies according to his or her activity levels and lifestyle. The more physically active you are, the less likely you are to experience high blood sugar.

The problems associated with excessive sugar

If there is more sugar than normal limits in the bloodstream for extended time period, there can be many health hazards like:

• Hyperglycemia - too much sugar in the bloodstream 
• Damage to blood vessels - affects both small and large blood vessels 
• Increased risk of heart diseases - caused by poor blood circulation 
• Strokes - unchecked diabetes' heart disease can lead to strokes 
• Vision difficulties - blurriness or double vision is caused by high or low glucose 
• Problems with the kidney - diabetes is one of leading causes 
• Diabetes - the end result of unchecked excess blood sugar levels 
• Nerve problems associated with diabetes - sugar affects nerve endings 

Reasons for high blood sugar

This happens whenever the body is unable to induce the pancreas to produce insulin, or if the cells in the body have become resistant to the amount produced by the pancreas. So that, the pancreas is unable to keep up production to meet the demand.

Glucose monitors

People with diabetes need to constantly check their blood sugar levels and this is done through glucose monitors. Glucose monitors help them with managing and treating the associated problems. Glucose levels in the blood are most commonly checked by using a lancing device that pricks your finger and draws out a drop of blood to get a sample and obtain an automatic reading.

Some common symptoms of a person with high blood sugar:

• A loss of body weight 
• Fatigue and tiredness 
• Trouble in concentrating 
• Increased thirst and frequent headaches 
• Frequent urination 
• Vision blurring 
• More than 180mg/dL of sugar in the blood 

The above symptoms may or may not mean that you have a diabetic or pre-diabetic condition. But if your experience 2, 3 or more of these, get your blood test done at once and see your doctor.

Common blood monitoring devices include the device itself, measuring strips where you apply your small blood sample and a needle device used for extracting blood drop from your finger.

Why are glucose monitors important?

Glucose monitors are of extreme importance because their absence means the patient is unable to check his/her blood sugar levels, which build up slowly. In cases, causing life-threatening conditions, especially if you’re plunged into a diabetic coma.

Continuous glucose monitors

Continuous glucose monitors are used to track your body’s glucose levels in real time 24/7. A glucose sensor made of a small electrode is inserted under the skin and the glucose levels in the tissue fluid are measured. There’s a transmitter attached to the glucose sensor and sends wireless signals to the receiving display cum monitoring device through a specific radio frequency. However, a continuous glucose monitor is recommended to be calibrated with a normal finger stick every 8 hours if possible. This will ensure the best accuracy of your glucose monitors.

Benefits of continuous glucose monitors over conventional ones

While a conventional automatic lancing device gives an instant and accurate reading, it only shows the reading for that moment. A CGM will provide you with information on whether your sugar levels are falling, or on the rise, an early indication of these onslaughts, alerts for any spikes or troughs while you’re resting or sleeping, and most importantly knowledge about how your physical activities, food habits, and medication is affecting your situation.

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