What Are Normal Blood Glucose and Blood Sugar Levels

This is the question my diabetic patients always ask. There are various methods to determine blood glucose level. Some tests give you accurate diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes, while others will tell you how well you are managing your diabetes.Fasting Blood Sugar Test:Measures the blood sugar level after 8 hours fast or overnight. Normal fasting blood glucose level is less than 100mg/dl. If your fasting blood glucose level is from 100mg/dl to 125mg/dl then you will have impaired blood glucose level also known as Pre-Diabetes. If your blood glucose level is above 125mg/dl then your doctor will diagnose as a patient of diabetes. To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may repeat the fasting blood glucose test on any other day. If you have blood glucose level of 126mg/dl or higher in two consecutive tests, then you may have diabetes. If you have blood glucose level greater than 200mg/dl and you have symptoms of diabetes like increased thirst or hunger, frequent urination, weight loss, blurred vision etc, then you may be diagnosed with diabetes mellitus without confirming it with second test.Random Blood Glucose Test:Random blood Glucose test gives your blood sugar at any time in a day. Normal random blood sugar level should be less than 200mg/dl. If your random blood glucose level is between 140mg/dl to 200mg/dl then you will have pre-diabetes.Oral glucose tolerance test:This test measures your response to sugar. First we measure fasting blood glucose level, and then glucose solution is given, after that we measure blood glucose after 1 hour and 2hours. A normal blood glucose level after an oral glucose tolerance test is less than 140 mg/dL. Level between 140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL suggests pre-diabetes. A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dL or higher two hours after you drink the glucose solution may suggest that you have diabetes mellitus.Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) testThis test is not for diagnosing diabetes, but it shows you how well you have controlled your sugar in last 2 or 3 months. Normal value is less than 7%, however if it is more than 7 then you and your doctor should think of changing your treatment of diabetes.Always Remember, your blood glucose measurement alone is not enough to differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Your doctor may do some other tests to find out which type of diabetes you have.Hope this article will help you understand, normal levels of blood glucose and blood sugar in your body.

by Dr.Armughan

The Home Blood Glucose Test

The Home Blood Glucose TestWhat is home blood glucose test? In simplest terms, it�"s a test carried out by diabetic patients to ascertain the level of glucose in their blood. Such a test can be carried out in the home of a diabetic patient by the patient himself, hence the name, home blood glucose test. The test is required to be performed by the patient at frequent intervals, in some cases daily, and in some cases two to three times a day. Indeed, the frequency of testing is necessary as, if the blood glucose level exceeds the limits then the patient risks suffering a heart or other life threatening problem. Diabetic patients cannot visit a lab to test so frequently; the patient conveniently performs the test and administers the doses of insulin to rectify the condition in the comforts of home. The most essential equipment component required to carry out home testing of blood glucose levels consists of a calibration meter. The calibration meter is available from a variety of companies around the world. Some come with AC adaptors, others are fitted with batteries. Diabetic testers may be required to make use of a single AA battery or an AAA battery. However this is the most preferred version to the AC power supply model due to its portability. The next testing component to consider is testing strips. The testing strips may be manufactured by the same company that provides the testing meters. It would be advisable to use testing strips from the same company as the meter you are using. This ensures compatibility between the meter and the strip. The testing strips are stored in air tight bottles so as not to allow moisture to affect the strip. Some meters have a container along with the machine for storing the strips. Diabetic patients may make use of a solution called the �Ssugar solution control⬝. This solution is used on the strip, to help read the data from the strip. Nowadays most machines do not require this solution and hence you can do away with it. Once all is ready, it�"s time to do the most dreaded part�"the patient must prick himself. This is accomplished with the help of a needle called a �Slancet,⬝ a short needle that has a pre-determined length. The lancet ensures that the prick doesn�"t go too deep but just the right depth to get a single drop of blood. One cannot hold the needle in hand and hence a tester should have a holder in which to fit the needle. A holder is a pen shaped device which holds the needle and which also determines how deep the pricking should be. Last but not the least, cotton balls and rubbing alcohol are required to stop the bleeding and to clean the area to be pricked before and after cleaning. This should be a good start in learning what a home blood glucose test is, who requires it and what equipment is needed for carrying out a home blood glucose test. Of course, this article is intended to be used for general informational purposes only. Patients should consult their physician for questions pertaining to their condition.

Jonathan Doemacher writes for Diabetic Seniors, an informative resource about diabetes for senior patients and caregivers. Visit Diabetic Seniors at this address: http://www.diabeticseniors.com
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You have just been diagnosed with DIABETES, now what?

You have just visited your family doctor, and have been told the horrific news that you are now a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic - no need to panic or get depressed.  I have got you covered. If you want to go directly to what must be done as soon as you are diagnosed, Click Here.

But first, how is Diabetes accurately tested?  It is normally tested by taking a measurement of the amount of glucose in your bloodstream which can be done one of three ways:

• One is by taking a direct measurement of your blood glucose levels after an overnight fast. 

• Secondly, by determining if your body can handle excess sugar after drinking a liquid glucose, and taking that measurement.

• Third, the "HbA1c" (glycosylated hemoglobin A1c) test, which determines the amount of glucose molecules attached to hemoglobin, over a period of two to three months.

The most prevalent test of course, is fasting overnight and finding a recurring pattern of an elevated blood sugar level on more than one occasion.  Even though this is a good indicator as to whether or not diabetes reigns, glucose metabolism challenges nor a diagnosis of early Type 2 diabetes, will be accurate without the 4 to 5 hour Glucose Tolerance test.  It checks both the insulin and glucose levels.

So you have determined that you are definitely a diabetic based on the previous tests involved.  Now what? You can continue to read this post, or you can discover immediately how to reverse your Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes in just a few short weeks Here!

Well our goal here is to restore the blood sugar levels down to its normal range and keep it there, as well as any metabolic disorders that have evolved.  To be successful in this arena, a diabetic will now have to become active in carrying out not only a healthy lifestyle, but diet as well.  It has been known, that if the following is practiced, diabetes can be diminished in 95% of the cases:

• Exercise - such as walking, swimming, biking, etc.  Just about anything that results in a slight increase in your heart rate, and you consider fun and not "exercise", will assist in decreasing and normalizing your blood sugar levels. 
• Managing Stress - exercise can also fall in this category because as a result of "exercise", your stress levels will be reduced.
• Diet - the first step to a diabetic diet, is removing ALL sugars from your diet.  This will get the process started for what we would like to get accomplished here; restoring the blood sugar levels down to its normal range.
• Nutrition
• Detoxification
• Natural herbs - astragalus, bitter melon, fenugreek, garlic, ginseng. 

All of the above are good suggestions for normalizing your blood sugar levels, but if you are interested in reversing your diabetes then Click Here! The reason why you are here I suppose, is to acquire many quick and easy diabetic recipes and discover more about a diabetic diet.  We will discuss this next.

"Let us first understand the facts, and then we may seek the cause."-Aristotle