blood glucose levels | Diabetes Healthy Solutions

The Continuous Blood Glucose Monitor

The continuous blood glucose monitor is a bit of new technology that may someday revolutionize the treatment and monitoring of those with blood glucose abnormalities brought about by the metabolic diseases known as diabetes. For anyone with diabetes the key to keeping the disease under control and the effects and symptoms in check is to maintain a blood glucose level that is as close to normal as possible, for as much of the time as possible. In some diabetics maintaining proper blood glucose levels may be no trouble at all, and in others blood glucose levels can fluctuate very rapidly. It is in those with rapid swings in blood glucose levels, or particularly hard to maintain blood glucose levels that the continuous blood glucose monitor really comes into its own.

The continuous blood glucose monitor of today, such as the glucowatch, is usually worn on the wrist like a wristwatch. The monitor checks blood glucose levels by administering a painless electric shock which draws interstitial fluid from the pores and this is read by the monitor to obtain a blood glucose level. This testing can be done with no pain or other side effects as often as every 20 minutes and the readings are recorded by the monitor, which can also be set to alarm if readings are too high or too low. With this kind of continuous sampling tracking and trending changes in blood glucose levels throughout the day is relatively easy.

While the present generation continuous blood glucose monitor cannot replace the finger stick blood glucose reading for spot on accuracy and dependability and should not be relied on as the only source of blood glucose level data, companies such as Abbott and Medtronic are diligently working on improving the technology. One day soon, the diabetic will be able to simply strap on their continuous blood glucose monitor and never have to suffer through another irritating finger stick to keep track of their blood glucose level.

Low Blood Glucose Levels

For an ever increasing number of people low blood glucose levels are a real concern. The number of people diagnosed with heart disease, hypertension, and many forms of cancer, has been fairly steady or even slightly declining in recent years, but the number of people with diabetes continues to skyrocket. For those with diabetes low blood glucose levels can be just as much of a concern as high blood glucose levels due to the simple fact the for the body to operate at optimum levels the blood glucose generally needs to stay somewhere between 60 and 10 mg/dl. Diabetes is the number one cause of abnormal blood glucose levels due to the way it affects the way the body is able to metabolize the glucose that is taken in as food.

Glucose is a type of sugar that the body gets from carbohydrates, sugars, and fatty foods that are consumed. Glucose is important because it is used by each cell of the body as a source of fuel, and when glucose levels fall the body begins to shut down just as surely as a car shutting down when the fuel tank is empty. For most diabetics there is a fine line between too much and too little glucose, and they must check their glucose several times a day in order to balance their medication dosage and diet to keep glucose within healthy levels. All it takes is one misjudgment in insulin dosage, or one forgotten meal or snack to cause blood glucose levels to plummet to the point that the diabetic will lose consciousness and could even die without prompt treatment.

If you or someone you know is a diabetic the only way to keep from suffering from low blood glucose levels is by staying on top of your glucose checks, keeping your diet right, and following your doctors recommendations. You surely don’t want to be on a long trip when your car runs out of gas, and you don’t want to allow your body to suffer from lack of fuel.

What is a normal range for blood glucose?

What is a normal range for blood glucose? The normal range for blood glucose is between 80 – 190/200. Most doctor’s and physicians consider below 70 low and above 240 high.

Diabetics all differ from person to person because everyone has to take various things into consideration such as weight, height, health and family medical history as well as their gender, males may need more of a calorie intake to get through the day versus a female and an elderly person who doesn’t get much exercise may be able to get through the day with a lower blood glucose reading than one that gets out and about all the time and is really active.

It is hard for some doctor’s to pinpoint what a normal range for blood glucose may be or for a normal range fasting blood glucose but for many they throw it all out there and have a standard chart that they go by, which is standard normal range for everyone.

While diabetics need to be careful and monitor their normal range for blood glucose levels carefully and make sure that they don’t get hypoglycemic, which is low blood sugar and can cause hunger, fainting, shaking, etc. they also need to make sure that they prevent themselves from becoming hyperglycemic or having too high blood glucose level that can cause strokes, heart attacks, passing out, etc.

Healthy people, diabetics and everyone else needs to monitor for a normal range cholesterol. High cholesterol can stem from many things such as eating too high fatty foods, too much grease, too much junk food, etc. A normal range cholesterol is less than 200mg/dL. If that number gets too high then you are putting yourself in harm’s way and taking the chance or risks of a heart attack or stroke.

By keeping yourself healthy so that you can have a normal range cholesterol and also a normal range for blood glucose is an important part of living a long and healthy life.

Normal Glucose Readings

Everyone, it seems, is counting some type of medical readings these days, from counting carbs, to cholesterol levels, normal glucose readings, there is always a new number to be tracked and trended and kept as close to normal as possible. Of all the things that are tracked and trended nowadays there is possibly nothing more important to an ever growing number of people than normal glucose readings. The number of people who suffer the ill effects of hypertension and heart disease are actually on the decline, but the number of diabetics continues to increase daily and normal glucose readings are, for the diabetic, the key to a long and trouble free life.

When it comes to determining exactly what normal blood glucose levels are, the normally accepted range of 80-110 mg/dl can be influenced by such factors as body weight, age, and underlying health conditions. The only real way for an individual to find out exactly what their normal glucose readings should be is to consult with their doctor. It should be noted, however, that low glucose readings can be just as detrimental as high glucose readings, extremes in either direction could lead to coma or even death. The only good glucose readings are those within the normal range for the individual.

For those who have suffered from diabetes for years and those newly diagnosed organizations like to American Diabetes Association can be invaluable resources for information and support regarding the disease. Many companies now offer free glucometers to those who need them. Awareness of the risks and treatments of diabetes is being raised in the public eye like never before. Research continues into finding a cure for diabetes. Never before has it been easier or more important for the diabetic to maintain normal glucose readings than it is today.

What is elevated blood glucose?

Do you have diabetes and suffer from an elevated blood glucose? What is elevated blood glucose?

Many people who are diabetics suffer from an elevated blood glucose level because as your body adjusts to new medications, insulin, etc. the levels of insulin and glucose that your body is able to make will react differently to each other causing them to work harder.

A healthy glucose level means that your body is running and working smoothly and all parts of your body is working well with each other so that you can have a healthy glucose level. When you are diabetic or have any type of medical history or family history you need to keep careful tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as your blood glucose levels so that none of them get elevated.

Elevated blood glucose, elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels all gone unchecked or untreated can cause many major medical problems such as organ and system failure, heart attacks, stroke and even death.

Being a diabetic and having elevated blood glucose levels are only the beginning of a world wind of events that can occur being a diabetic. Elevated blood pressure can lead to strokes or heart attacks caused by restricted blood vessels and elevated cholesterol levels can lead to stroke, lightheaded, fainting and death if not treated or taken care of when first caught. Many people take elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and elevated blood glucose levels lightly and normally end up finding out the hard way or dealing with near death experiences before they realize how serious elevated blood glucose levels and elevated blood pressure can be.

Are you a diabetic, do you suffer from elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or elevated blood glucose or are you one of the few who has a healthy glucose?