Blood Sugar Level

What is the level of blood sugar?

The level of blood sugar is the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Also known as serum glucose level. It is expressed as millimoles per litre (mmol / l).

Normally, blood glucose levels stay within narrow limits throughout the day: 4 to 8mmol / l. But they are higher after a meal and usually lowest in the morning.

In diabetes the level of blood sugar moves outside these limits until treatment. Even with a good control of diabetes, the level of blood sugar is derived sometimes even outside of this normal range.

Why control of the levels of blood sugar?

For reasons that are not well understood, when very high levels of glucose in the blood are present for years, leading to damage to small blood vessels.

This in turn increases the risk of developing late-stage complications of diabetes, such as:

* Retinopathy (eye disease)

* Nephropathy (kidney disease)

* Neuropathy (nerve disease)

* Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, hypertension, heart failure, stroke and problems caused by poor circulation, such as gangrene, in the worst case.

With Type 1 diabetes, these complications can begin to appear 10 to 15 years after diagnosis.

It is often less than 10 years after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, because this type of diabetes is often present for years before it is recognized.

By keeping the blood sugar stable, significantly reduce their risk of these complications.

How do I measure the levels of blood sugar?


Good advice
Home testing kits come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
A pharmacist or nurse clinic diabetes can recommend the best model.
You can usually get a blood glucose in the metro little or no cost through the clinical diabetes.
Testing strips are available on NHS prescription.
You can learn to measure levels of blood sugar quickly and simply with a home blood glucose test kit. All kits have at least two things: a measuring device and a strip.

To check the level of sugar in his blood, put a small amount of blood on the strip. Now place the band in the product. After about 30 seconds to show the level of glucose in the blood.

The best way to take a sample of blood by pricking the finger with a lancet that strong designed to penetrate the skin only to the extent necessary to extract a drop of blood.

What should be glucose levels?

The ideal values are:

* 4 to 7mmol / L before meals.

* Less than 10mmol / l 90 minutes after a meal

* Around 8mmol / l at bedtime.

How often should blood glucose was measured?

It depends on your lifestyle - the needs of a person with diabetes who is also an instructor of PE are very different from someone who sits at a computer all day.

If you use insulin

In general, people who have type 1 diabetes should measure their blood sugar levels daily before meals. Some days one or two tests can be done, whereas in another four or five might be necessary.

The measurement of the levels of blood sugar in the morning before any meal gives an indication of the amount of insulin needed overnight.

If you have type 2 diabetes being treated with insulin, you should also follow this schedule.

If oral treatments

If diabetes is treated with tablets or a special diet (type 2), should measure their blood glucose levels once or twice a week - either before meals or 90 minutes after a meal.

It must also make a profile of 24 hours once or twice a month. This means the measurement of glucose levels before each meal.

Not everyone with type 2 diabetes has to carry out regular checks of blood glucose.

For the elderly and people with other medical problems, it is often sufficient to control glucose in the urine - usually before breakfast and dinner.

This is because while a good control of diabetes is important, cardiovascular complications (heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris) is the leading cause of severe illness and death in people with this type of diabetes.

Therefore, people with type 2 diabetes will benefit from the fight against the factors contributing to their cardiovascular risk by:

Or controlling blood pressure more rigorously

Or lowering cholesterol levels with medication

Or the beginning or increasing exercise

Or quit.


Levels of blood glucose at bedtime

The level of blood sugar at bedtime should be between 7 and 10 mmol / l.

If the blood glucose is too low or too high at bedtime, you may need to adjust your food intake or insulin dose. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor.

At what other times the levels of blood glucose should be measured?

The blood glucose should be measured at any time of discomfort or think your blood sugar level is too high or low.

If you have type 1 diabetes and have more than 20mmol / l glucose in the blood, you have to use a strip of urine to verify the presence of ketones.

If organs are ketones in the urine is a warning sign of diabetic acidosis. If this is the case, you should consult your doctor immediately.

How is the level of blood sugar control over a period of time?

A test known as the HbA1c test can show the average level of blood sugar during the last six to eight weeks.

The proof is in HbA1c levels in a sample of blood.


Term clock
Hemoglobin
The substance in red blood cells that binds and transports oxygen throughout the bloodstream.
HbA1c is a compound produced by the chemical reaction between hemoglobin and glucose in the blood. HbA1c is also known as glycosylated hemoglobin.

High blood sugar levels to produce more HbA1c. But because the process happens over several weeks, an upturn occasional high blood sugar is not enough to influence the level of HbA1c.

This means that only consistently high levels of glucose in HbA1c due to the height - and why HbA1c used as a measure of diabetes control.

* HbA1c is about 6 percent of total hemoglobin in people without diabetes. This is the aim of targeting with strict blood sugar control - although 7 percent or less is very good.

* HbA1c of 7.5 percent shows just diabetes control.

* HbA1c above 8.5 percent demonstrates the lack of control of diabetes.

Any increase in the level of HbA1c indicates poorer diabetes control.

The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group was 20 years of research long trial in diabetes.

It showed that for every 1 percent increase in HbA1c, a person with type 2 diabetes is 30 percent more likely to develop late-stage complications arising from damage to small blood vessels.

In type 1 diabetes, the same relationship between high levels of HbA1c and strengthening the development of complications was demonstrated by the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial in the United States.

Based on a text by Dr Jan Erik Henriksen, and Dr Henning Bech-Nielsen, professor and consultant
source: netdoctor.co.uk
Blood Sugar Level