Blood glucose monitoring is the best way to keep your diabetes under control and help you stay healthy. To do that, you'll need to know your daily blood glucose numbers, target goals, the factors that can cause fluctuations and also what symptoms to look for when your levels are too high or too low.
Definition
Your blood sugar level is the amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood, and is also known as the plasma glucose level. It's measured in millimoles per liter, or mmol/l, or in milligrams per deciliter, mm/dL. In non-diabetics, blood sugar levels will stay within a narrow limit throughout the day, but when you're diabetic, your levels will stray outside those limits, requiring treatment.
Significance
If you're diabetic, you're also at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, eye disease, blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease and even amputations. That's why it's extremely important that you keep your blood sugar levels under control.
Types
There are two different tests that measure your blood glucose. The first is the A1C, measured in mmol/l, in which blood is drawn from a vein in your arm to measure how much glucose has been sticking to your red blood cells over the past three to four months, which is the lifetime of one red blood cell. This test should be given at least twice a year. The other test is the daily self-monitoring test, in which you use a portable monitor to check glucose levels from a drop of your blood, measured typically in milligrams/deciliter.
Levels
Although you and your doctor should discuss an A1C goal that is right for you, for most diabetics, the goal is to maintain a level less than seven mmol/l. Self-tests are usually done before meals, after meals and/or at bedtime, although if you're taking insulin, you'll need to test yourself more often. According to the American Diabetes Association, for most diabetics, a good number to aim for is within the 70 to 130 mg/dL range right before a meal and less than 180 mg/dl after a meal, if your monitor uses plasma values. If your monitor uses whole-blood values, the level before eating should be within 80 to 120 mg/dL and less than 170 mg/dL after.
Symptoms
If your blood glucose gets too low, you may feel nervous, shaky, sweaty or tired. If it's not treated, you may get confused, pass out or have seizures. If you feel this happening and your levels are less than 60 to 70 mg/dL, you should treat it right away by taking glucose tablets or a small amount of juice, milk, soda or sugar. On the other hand, common symptoms of a blood sugar level that is too high include dry mouth, thirst, urinating frequently, blurred vision and losing weight without trying. If your levels are very high, you may have nausea, stomach pain and vomiting. When levels get too high, you may need to make dietary changes.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Prevent diabetes problems
- New York State Department of Health: Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers
- American Diabetes Association: Checking your Blood Glucose
- MayoClinic.com: Blood sugar testing: Why, when and how
- MayoClinic.com: Use blood glucose numbers to better manage diabetes
