Managing Your Blood Sugar With A New Glucometer
Diabetes is one of the most widespread illnesses in the western world. However, with the proper treatment and the right equipment it is also among the easiest to treat.
Diabetes occurs when the body fails to turn sugars and other foods into the energy which it needs to function normally. This can result in abnormal sugar levels in the blood, which can often be dangerous. Diabetes is caused by the body's inability to produce, or react normally to, the hormone insulin.
A whopping 7.8% of the US's population suffers from diabetes - that's 23.6 million men, women and children across the nation. In addition, it is estimated that almost twenty-five per cent of this number are not aware of their illness.
To date, there is no cure for diabetes, but, thankfully, it is easy to treat using medical insulin. A healthy lifestyle is also very important. No smoking, no alcohol and eating well can all help prevent complications related to diabetes.
It is vital that diabetics regularly check their blood sugar levels with a tool called a glucometer. This is a compact tool that allows you to monitor the concentration of glucose in your blood and tells you whether your blood sugar levels are high, low, or in the right range.
Because of their compact size and ease of use, glucometers can be used while you are out and about. Testing your blood sugar level with a glucometer involves putting a small sample of blood on a special test strip. Your glucometer should give you an accurate blood sugar reading in a matter of and you can take the necessary action.
Glucometers normally have a small display that shows the levels of sugar in your blood. In addition, they will record the date and time, and save old results to help you and your medical practitioner monitor your condition.
The glucometers themselves are not very costly. In fact, many distributors supply them for free. The glucometer test strips, though, can be pricey. They range in price from about 35 cents to one dollar. Some diabetics may use more than 10 test strips a day, so the costs can soon mount.
When looking for the right glucometer to help you manage your illness there are a a number of things that you should keep in mind. These include:
* The size of the glucometer * The size of the testing strips * The price of the glucometer * The price of testing strips * How fast it returns test results * The amount of blood required for a test * The glucometer's memory and data capacity * The size of the glucometer's display
Frequent blood tests using a glucometer help prevent many of the problems associated with diabetes, like eye, heart and kidney problems. Keeping tabs on the sugar levels in your blood also helps you find out how effective your medication is in treating your diabetes, and, most importantly of all, helps prevent life-threatening emergencies.