The Importance of Blood Glucose Monitoring

Glucose is the fuel of the body. This is metabolized from the ingestion of food, especially carbohydrates. The glucose is then absorbed by the body and is carried by the blood throughout the body. In order to unlock the energy properties of glucose for the cells, the hormone insulin is needed. Special cells in the pancreas called beta cells produce this hormone. This is what happens in a normal person but this is not what happens with a diabetic. In a diabetic, the pancreas does not or is unable to produce the hormone insulin for the regulation of blood glucose. This causes many problems for the body, which happens in a diabetes sufferer.

The blood glucose level normally increases after one eats a meal. This increase triggers the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin to help in the regulation of the blood sugar level and assist in the use of glucose as fuel for the cells. In diabetics, there is no or an insufficient amount of insulin produced thus making the amount of glucose in the blood too high. Too high a blood glucose level in the body makes the blood thicker, taxing the heart to pump the blood throughout the body. Also, too much blood glucose in the blood makes for the inability of the blood to carry other important chemicals such as oxygen and other nutrients. The kidneys and liver are also overworked since the insulin helps in the easier excretion of the glucose from the bloodstream. Without insulin, these organs degenerate since there is no fuel to work with and the glucose becomes thick in the excretory organs. This is not a one-time deal like a heart attack or stroke. Diabetes wears away the organs abilities slowly, thus building up to organ failure in the long run. So for diabetes sufferers, it is important that blood glucose is monitored in order to avoid grave complications to occur in the long run.

How Blood Glucose Monitoring is Done

There are simple ways to do blood glucose monitoring and there are the laboratory ways. Here are some of the sample blood glucose monitoring techniques in use today.

• Observing your body. If a small wound takes more time than usual to heal or if your urine is more yellowish than usual, then there may be something wrong with you. These observations do not automatically mean you have high blood glucose content but are some indications that there may be a problem with your body.
• The blood sugar strip test. This is easily done by having an electronic device that undertakes blood sugar monitoring. By pricking the side of the fingers and having a couple of drops of blood on a special strip to be run through the device, you can have a reading as to the blood sugar level you have. This is not a very accurate measure of the amount of blood glucose but it provides the tester an idea of whether the blood sugar level is very high at any given time.
• The Urine Test. This is one of the laboratory ways in blood glucose monitoring. If one has too high a blood glucose content, the kidneys work doubly hard to disperse the excess levels causing the production of microalbuminuria. When there is the presence of this chemical, the kidneys have reversed their processes. Instead of excreting the excess glucose, vital protein is excreted. This is a positive sign that diabetes is already a condition that needs to be addressed.
• The Hemoglobin A1c test. In this test, a sample of blood is drawn from the vein and by measuring the hemoglobin level and from there one can determine if the condition is present in the sample. A blood level of 7% or less would indicate good glucose control meaning insulin levels are within normal levels. A hemoglobin A1c test result of more than 8% would indicate too high blood glucose levels in the body thus the need for intervention to control it.
• The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test. This is a laboratory test where the subject is required to refrain from eating or drinking anything for at least eight hours. Then, blood is drawn to determine the blood glucose level present. The median for the determination of diabetes is 126 mg/dL. This means there are 126 milligrams of glucose in every deciliter of blood. Anything higher than this means that blood glucose is not properly metabolized by the body and is thus being retained in the blood stream. This is one of the most reliable ways of blood glucose monitoring to determine diabetes.

Blood Glucose Monitoring in your Home

Not everyone has the means or the access to the tests that would surely indicate the level of blood glucose present. For diabetes, this is a crucial aspect of their daily lives. Thus, blood glucose monitoring is essential for diabetics living at home. Here are some steps to help in the overall habit of blood glucose monitoring of a diabetic while at home.

• Watch what you eat. The first step in blood glucose monitoring is in the diet that a diabetic has each day. By limiting the amount of sugar and carbohydrates in the diet, then the blood glucose levels are necessarily limited to low levels.
• Read up on the condition. Knowledge is one of the most effective medications for the diabetes sufferer. Educate those around you as to the condition so that they can easily adjust to the peculiarities of the condition.
• Keep the meter and supplies well stocked and well at hand when at home. By having a blood sugar monitor, an ample amount of strips and lancets for your device, you can be an active blood glucose monitor for yourself or for your loved one.
• Include the monitoring regimen into the daily habit. Make the blood glucose monitoring exercise as part of the daily routine so that the levels are examined thoroughly and regularly.
• Proper execution of the blood glucose monitoring technique. This step is vital to be able to determine with a bit of accuracy as to the blood sugar level of the individual. Pricking the sides of the finger and placing an ample amount of blood on the strip is as important as having a clean device repetitively used. The reading is important to gauge the blood sugar levels of the diabetes sufferer.

Related posts:

1. The Reason why Diabetics Suffer Bluriness and Dizziness
2. You Know You Are A Diabetic When…
3. The Realities of Exercise and Blood Sugar Levels
4. The Secrets of Diabetes Diets
5. The Reasons Why Blood Sugar Rises

Tagged as: Blood Glucose Monitoring, Blood Sugar Strip Test, The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test, The Hemoglobin A1c Test, The Urine Test