[sellfire id=”51bbe3ec0c888c0f74a287d1″ name=”Diabetic Supplies”]

Controlling your blood glucose is crucial to feeling healthier and therefore eluding long-term difficulties of all forms of diabetes. Numerous people may easily take control of their blood sugar levels with exercise and diet alone. Other folks will need to use insulin or even any number of drug treatments in conjunction with changes in lifestyle. Either way, monitoring your blood glucose levels is a central part of your treatment program.

In the event that you’ve just was given a medical diagnosis of being diabetic, supervising your blood sugar levels might seem like a major job, but once you learn to measure your blood sugar and understand how important it is, you’ll feel more comfortable with the procedure and more in control of your disease. Testing is crucial because it tells you whether you’re keeping your glucose levels in the range you and your doctor have agreed on.

The best range for you depends on your age and the type of diabetes you have. For younger adults who don’t have complications of diabetes, a typical target range might be 80 to 120 mg/dL before meals, and below 180 mg/dL after eating. Older adults who have complications from their disease may have a fasting target goal of 100 to 140 mg/dL and below 200 mg/dL after meals. That’s because blood sugar that falls too low in older adults can be more dangerous than in younger people.

A home blood glucose test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood at the time of testing. The test can be done at home or anywhere, using a small portable machine called a blood glucose meter.

Home blood sugar testing can be used to monitor your blood sugar levels. Talk with your doctor about how often to check your blood sugar. How often you need to check it depends on your diabetes treatment, how well your diabetes is controlled, and your overall health. People who take insulin to control their diabetes may need to check their blood sugar level several times a day. Testing blood sugar at home is often called home blood sugar monitoring or self-testing.

If you are using an insulin pump or if you use insulin more than once a day, the American Diabetes Association ( ADA ) recommends testing your blood sugar 3 or more times every day. If you use insulin rarely or don’t use it at all, blood sugar testing can be very helpful in learning how your body reacts to foods, illness, stress,exercise, medicines, and other activities. Testing before and after eating can help you adjust what you eat.