Monitoring Your Diabetes With A Glucometer
Diabetes is among the most common disorders in the western world. But with the proper management and the necessary equipment it is also one of the easiest to treat.
Diabetes occurs when the body fails to transform sugars and other foods into the energy which it needs to function properly. This can result in abnormal sugar concentration in the blood, which can often be dangerous. Diabetes is caused by the body's inability to make, or react normally to, the hormone insulin.
A staggering 7.8% of the United States' population suffers from diabetes - that's well over twenty-three million men, women and children across the country. In addition, it is thought that almost 25% of this number are oblivious to their illness.
To date, there isn't a cure for diabetes, but, thankfully, it is easy to control using medical insulin. A healthy lifestyle is also very important. No smoking, no drinking and a good diet can all help reduce complications related to diabetes.
It is vital that diabetes sufferers regularly monitor their blood sugar levels with a tool called a glucometer. This is a compact tool that allows you to test the levels of glucose in your blood and tells you if your blood sugar levels are high, low, or about right.
Because of their small size and ease of use, glucometers can be used just about anywhere. Testing your blood sugar level with a glucometer involves placing a small drop of blood on a custom made test strip. Your glucometer should provide you with an accurate blood sugar reading in seconds and you can take the necessary action.
Glucometers usually have a small display that shows the levels of sugar in your blood. Also, they will record the day and time, and store old results to help you and your medical practitioner monitor your illness.
The glucometers themselves are not very costly. In fact, some manufacturers supply them for free. The glucometer test strips, however, can be pricey. They range in price from about thirty-five cents to a dollar. Some diabetics may use over 10 test strips per day, so the costs can quickly mount.
When choosing the right glucometer to help you manage your diabetes there are a a number of things that you should keep in mind. These include:
* How large is the glucometer? * The size of the testing strips * The price of the glucometer * The price of testing strips * How quickly it returns test results * The quantity of blood needed for a test * The unit's storage and data capacity * The quality of the unit's display
Frequent blood tests using a glucometer aid in the prevention of a lot of the problems associated with diabetes, such as eye, heart and kidney problems. Keeping tabs on the sugar levels in your blood also helps you see how effective your medicines are in treating your diabetes, and, most importantly of all, helps prevent life-threatening emergencies.