What should your glucose levels be? The blood glucose levels for a grownup without diabetes are below 100 mg/dL before meals and fasting and are less than 140 mg/dL two hours after meals.

Individuals with diabetes should consult their medical professional or healthcare provider to set suitable blood glucose objectives. You need to treat your low or high blood glucose as advised by your healthcare provider.

What is glucose? Glucose is a type of sugar that your body uses as a source of energy. Unless you have diabetes, your body manages the amount of glucose in your blood. People with diabetes might need unique diets and medications to manage blood sugar.

How do you select a Glucose Meter?

There are many different kinds of meters available for purchase that differ in numerous methods, including:

• accuracy
• amount of blood needed for each test
• how simple it is to utilize
• discomfort connected with utilizing the product
• evaluating speed
• general size
• capability to keep test lead to memory
• likelihood of disturbances
• ability to transmit information to a computer system
• cost of the meter
• cost of the test strips used
• medical professional’s recommendation
• technical support provided by the producer
• unique functions such as automatic timing, mistake codes, large display screen, or spoken instructions or results

Speak to your health care supplier about the right glucose meter for you, and how to use it.

Why should you Test for Glucose? You need to take this test if you have diabetes and you need to monitor your blood sugar level (glucose) levels. You and your medical professional can utilize the results to:

• Determine your everyday adjustments in treatment
• If you have low or alarmingly high levels of glucose, know and
  understand how your diet plan and workout change your glucose levels

The Diabetes Control and Problems Trial (1993) showed that good glucose control utilizing house screens led to fewer illness complications.

How often should you test your blood glucose levels?

Follow your doctor’s suggestions about how frequently you evaluate your glucose. You may require to evaluate yourself several times every day to determine modifications in your diet or treatment.

How accurate is your glucose screen? The accuracy of this test depends upon lots of elements consisting of:

• always utilize new test strips that are authorized for sale in the United States The FDA has provided a safety communication alerting about the dangers of using previously owned test strips or test strips that are not licensed for sale in the United States.
• how well do you perform the test yourself. You need to clean and dry your hands before testing and closely follow the guidelines for running your meter.
• the variety of red cells in the blood (hematocrit). If you are badly dehydrated or anemic, your test outcomes might be less accurate. Your healthcare provider can inform you if your hematocrit is low or high, and can go over with you how it may impact your glucose screening.
• substances that hinder monitoring. Some compounds, such as Vitamin C, Tylenol, and uric acid, may disrupt your glucose screening. Examine the instructions for your meter and test strips to learn what substances may affect the screening precision.
• elevation, temperature, and humidity (High elevation, high and low-temperature levels, and humidity can trigger unforeseeable impacts on glucose results).

Check the meter manual and test strip bundle insert for more details.

Storage and handling of the meter and strips according to the maker’s directions. It is necessary to keep test strip vials closed.

How do you test?

Before you evaluate your blood sugar, you must read and understand the guidelines for your specific meter. In general, you puncture your finger with a lancet to get a drop of blood. You put the blood on a nonreusable “test strip” that is placed into your meter. The test strip includes chemicals that respond with glucose. Some meters determine the amount of electrical power that passes through the test strip. Others determine how much light reflects from it. In the United States., glucose meters report results in milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood or mg/dl.

You can get information about your meter and test strips from numerous different sources, including the toll-free number in the manual that features your meter or on the producer’s site. If you have an immediate problem, constantly contact your healthcare supplier or a regional emergency clinic for advice.

How can you inspect your meter’s performance?

There are three methods to make certain your meter works effectively:

Use liquid control options:

• every time you open a brand-new container of test strips
• sometimes as you utilize the container of test strips
• if you drop the meter
• whenever you get unusual results

To check a liquid control service, you check a drop of these solutions much like you check a drop of your blood. The numeric value you get should be the same as written on the test strip vial label.
Look in your meter’s manual to see what the error codes mean and how to repair the issue. If you are unsure if your meter is working appropriately, call the toll-free number in your meter’s handbook, or contact your health care supplier.

Compare your glucose meter test results with a blood glucose test performed in a laboratory. Take your meter with you to your next consultation with your healthcare service provider. Ask your provider to watch your screening method to make certain you are utilizing the meter correctly. Ask your healthcare provider to have your blood tested with a lab approach. If the values you acquire on your glucose meter match the lab values, then your meter is working well and you are utilizing an excellent method.

What should you do if your glucose meter is malfunctioning? If your meter malfunctions, you need to inform your healthcare supplier and get in touch with the business that made your meter and strips.