Blood Sugar Levels
The level of blood sugar
in our bodies is crucial to the health of the body. Most
people who know about or have experienced diabetes will be
familiar with the terms Blood Sugar, Blood Glucose level,
blood glucose test and many more. But what does this Blood
glucose really mean? Why does it's level need to be
controlled? Know more.
What is blood sugar level and what are effects on health?
Blood sugar is the term that refers to the level of glucose in human body. Glucose is the primary source of energy in our body. It is transported by the blood stream to the various parts of the body and carried to various cells and tissues. Blood sugar or the level of glucose should be strictly regulated inside our body to avoid any discrepancies.
The glucose level should be maintained in the body between 70 to 150 mg/dl. However, the blood glucose level rises just after having meals and is low before taking meals. If this normal range of blood glucose level is not maintained, it leads to some serious ailments. There can either of the two cases. Either the blood sugar rises above the normal range that causes hyperglycemia or the blood glucose level falls below causing hypoglycemia.
Diabetes mellitus is the result of the
persistently high blood sugar level. It is also the most
common form of blood sugar discrepancy. This ailment results
in many other long term diseases related to kidney, eye and
nerve damage. Hypoglycemia is visible in those whose blood
sugar levels drop too low. It can be potentially fatal
condition with symptoms like lethargy, impaired mental
functioning, loss of consciousness and irritability.
How to test blood sugar level?
The increased blood sugar level is considered as diabetes. Diabetes can be tested and measured by two types of test. The first type of test is the fasting plasma glucose test. This test is done after a minimum of 8 hours fast. This is mostly done after overnight fast. In this test, mostly referred as glucose test, the result is positive when the blood sugar level is above 140 mg/dl after overnight fast. If the result shows positive twice in at least two occasions, then the person is said to be suffering from diabetes.
The next test is the oral glucose
tolerance test (OGTT). In this test the glucose level in
plasma is tested at timed intervals over a period of 3
hours. The person undergoing the test first needs to be
tested at a fasting state of at least 10 hours. After
drawing the initial blood sugar the person is given a highly
rich glucose drink. Then the blood is drawn from the person
for test after 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours
interval. If the blood sugar level is 200 mg/dl or more than
that after 2 hours of drinking that sugar rich drink then
the result of the test is positive. During pregnancy, the
blood sugar level of the woman normally decreases. This
state is called gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes
can also be tested through OGTT, however the statistics are
different. She has gestational diabetes if the fasting
plasma glucose level is 95 mg/dl, a 1-hour glucose level is
180 mg/dl, 2 hour is 155 mg/dl and 3 hour is 140 mg/dl.
Blood sugar level should be regularly tested if you are 25
years old or more. These tests should be undertaken after
every three years even if the test result is normal. You
have a chance of diabetes if you are obese or have a family
history or have high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Help With Blood Sugar Levels
Diabetes and Blood Sugar
If you are diagnosed with diabetes as an adult, you have diabetes type 2. Today, there are far too many children also being diagnosed with diabetes and theirs is called type 1. There is no known cure for diabetes, but you must know that taking care of yourself is the key to overcoming the problems associated with diabetes. Taking care of yourself does not only mean avoiding sugar, but it also means eating fiber, low carbohydrate and other foods that help control sugar levels, and having proper and regular exercise.
Having diabetes puts a person at risk for many complications such as heart disease, kidney and other organ failures and infections, teeth and gum diseases, and blindness. This is a serious disease that demands respect and concern and if not managed, will take its toll on your health. People with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Diabetics are also at risk for infections with their feet, which, if not treated, can result in amputation.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that your blood sugar not exceed 70-120 if you are not diagnosed with diabetes. If you have diabetes, it is recommended that a fasting blood sugar level be up to 130. After eating, that level can be up to 180. Your doctor will be doing an A1C test, which shows the levels of sugar in your system for 2-3 months before the test and will let you know the readings. The American Diabetes Association recommends that this level not exceed 7.0. You must make appointments and keep the appointments on a regular basis and get this test done quarterly to know if you are hitting the levels that are most desirable for your situation.
Any amount of exercise you can do will help keep your levels consistently low. Ten minutes three times a day of exercise is fine if you cannot get in 30 minutes of exercise in the day. The goal is to bring down your A1C levels and the sugar levels in your blood. For every 1% you can get your level down, it is thought that you can decrease your risk of certain health problems by as much as 40%. That is a tremendous incentive and will prolong your life and your quality of life.
You should not skip meals to try to bring diabetes under control. After you eat, the body will demand the pancreas to increase the insulin output and also the liver will shut down making more sugar. If you do not eat, these signals are not received. When you have diabetes, these signals are not so pronounced. So, eating small amounts throughout the day is key to keeping the insulin levels in balance and not spiking or dropping levels. If you do not eat, you body can become nervous, shaky, dizzy, light-headed, and you might start to have trouble forming correct sentences. This is called hypoglycemia when your blood sugar levels go too low.
You need to limit severely or cut out alcohol when you have diabetes type 2. The prescription drugs taken with diabetes can have undesirable problems when alcohol is consumed.
If you take diabetes seriously and manage the types of foods and timing of meals and snacks as well as keeping exercise a routine of your day, you can overcome the undesirable problems of diabetes and live a long life. You family and friends are counting on you.
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