About 24 million people in the United States suffer from diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A person may be born with a condition known as type 1 diabetes, where his pancreas does not produce the insulin his body needs to deliver sugar into the cells. Another person may develop type 2 diabetes, where the cells of her body become resistant to accepting the blood sugar.
Step 1
Use a glucometer to test your blood sugar levels. Wash your hands and then prick your finger with a lancet. Place a drop of blood on the test strip and insert the strip into the glucometer. Your blood sugar level will appear on the screen. Many glucometers allow you to save your blood sugar readings; otherwise, keep a log of your glucose levels so you can easily tell if you are experiencing large fluctuations in your sugar levels.
Step 2
Compare your blood sugar to the range of normal values. The American Diabetes Association suggests your glucose should be 70 to 100 mg/dL before a meal, and less than 130 mg/dL after you eat. Keep in mind that a person without diabetes does not experience fluctuating blood sugar levels as someone with diabetes.
Step 3
Make an appointment to have your blood sugars tested at a medical laboratory. There are many tests to determine how well your body is controlling blood sugar. You may have a fasting glucose test that measures your blood sugar after you have fasted, which means you have not had anything but water to eat or drink several hours before the test. An A1c reports an average glucose level over the previous two to three months to give an overview of fluctuations in blood sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Step 4
Determine how you feel. Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you may be able to tell if your blood sugar is fluctuating by how you feel. If your blood sugar is low, you may sweat, tremble, have blurred vision, anxiety, hungry or confusion, according to the LabTestsOnline website. If your blood glucose is high, you may feel thirsty or tired, need to urinate more frequently, experience blurred vision or have infections or wounds that do not heal.
Step 5
Recall when you last ate and what you had to eat. If you have just eaten a large meal and a large glass of orange juice, your blood sugar is probably on the rise. Also remember when you had your last insulin injection or dose of other medicine prescribed to control your diabetes.
Things You'll Need
- Glucometer
- Log book
