Glucose testing Meters

Glucose testing Meters
Glucose testing Meters

Not long ago only doctors and medical laboratories had access to glucose testing meters. Nowadays, with the enormous rise in the number of people with diabetes, glucose testing meters have become quite commonplace, and are an essential medical care device for many people. The days of big, bulky devices are gone and most of the modern glucose testing meters are so small as to fit easily in the palm of the hand and take up very little space even when packed with the needed test strips, alcohol wipes, and lancets.

Some modern meters are even made with built in USB ports so they can be hooked into a home computer so that testing data can be downloaded and tracked with just a few clicks of the mouse. Most modern meters operate off small watch-style batteries, though some are even rechargeable, and will operate for a very long time before there is any need to worry about power failure. The makers of most modern glucose testing meters have thought about the problem of sudden battery failure and have included features that will warn the user of a low battery before failure takes place.

Not only has technology made modern glucometers smaller, lighter, and more reliable, they are also faster and easier to use than ever before. Many glucose testing meters are now able to take in a drop of blood and read the glucose level in just a scant few seconds compared to the minute or more that was required by the glucometers of just a few years ago.

Some glucometers are now so sensitive that only a very small amount of blood is needed, and this greatly reduces the amount of discomfort that goes with the required needle stick, making it much less hassle for the many blood glucose checks that may be needed daily. The glucose testing meters of today are a far cry from the meters of just a few years ago, and have made keeping blood sugar levels under control easier and quicker than ever.

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One touch glucose monitors

One Touch Glucose Monitors
One Touch Glucose Monitors

One touch glucose meters are a great little tool to have if you are a diabetic or come in contact with diabetics on a regular basis. If you ask a diabetic what is the most important thing to them, most likely they will say…”A One touch glucose monitor.”

A glucose monitor is a very important asset to a diabetic almost as important as their insulin or sugar pills. Without a glucose monitor a diabetic wouldn’t know what their blood sugar levels are which wouldn’t allow them to know how much insulin they need to take in order to get their glucose levels regulated. It all works hand in hand.

There are many various kinds of glucose monitors such as the one touch Wal-Mart monitor, the one touch glucose monitor and the lifescan glucose monitor just to name a few. As with any glucose monitor you also need the accessories to go with it and one touch has their own line of diabetic products such as the one touch glucose test strips which go with the one touch glucose monitors perfectly. Without a perfect fit, you won’t get accurate readings and a diabetic relies on accurate readings in order for them to remain healthy.

When it comes to reviews, the one touch glucose monitor reviews are astonishing because the one touch glucose monitor is ranked on top of the charts for many reasons such as portability, ease of use, accurate and reliable readings as well as affordability. The one touch glucose monitors are a great little tool to have and that’s why you can find them in patient’s homes, hospitals on ambulances and in doctor’s offices around the country.

If you are a diabetic or know someone who is, rely on a one touch glucose monitor for your accurate diabetic readings.

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What are Diabetic Testing Machines?

diabetic testing machines
diabetic testing machines

When someone mentions diabetic testing machines the device they are referring to is usually called a glucometer. Diabetic testing machines are designed to read the level of glucose, or sugar, in a drop of blood so that the blood sugar level can be tracked.

The use of diabetic testing machines is pretty simple and straight forward. To use the machine a special test strip is placed in the machine, then a drop of blood is collected by pricking the skin (usually on the finger) with a lancet, the drop of blood is placed on the test strip and the machine “reads” the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Though there is a huge variety of different makes and models of diabetic testing machines on the market, they all work in virtually the same way, some may require a little smaller drop of blood and some may “read” the sugar level quicker than the others, but the basic principal remains the same.

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Diabetic Testing Machine

Diabetic Testing Machine
Diabetic Testing Machine

One of the most useful pieces of home health care equipment available today is the diabetic testing machine, also known as the glucometer. A modern diabetic testing machine is truly a marvel of technology. The newest types of diabetic testing machine are so small as to be able to fit neatly in the palm of the hand, as a matter of fact, when stowed in their cases with all the test strips, calibration solution, and alcohol wipes needed for a trip the modern diabetic testing machine barely takes up as much room as a man’s wallet. Despite their small size, these new model glucometers have plenty of power, even when compared to the glucometers of just a few years ago.

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What is Normal Glucose Level?

What is Normal Glucose Level
What is Normal Glucose Level

Understanding what is normal glucose level will give you a target to aim for when you are checking your blood sugar levels.

Depending on if you live in Canada or the United States, the Diabetes Associations in each country reports the blood sugar numbers slightly different because of the differences in imperial and metric measurement systems.

American and Canadian Diabetes Associations
Normal Glucose Levels Chart

Association Fasting Glucose 2 Hours After Eating A1C**
American Diabetes Association (mg/dl) < 100 < 140 < 6%
Canadian Diabetes Association (mmol/L) < 6.1 < 7.8 < 6%

**A1C is the major component that makes up your blood sugar and the A1C measurement is an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 120 days.  Please also note that the numbers for pregnant women and children age 12 and under are different than those listed in the char.

A normal blood sugar level is anywhere between 80 mg/dl to 140mg/dl. The sugar amounts that diabetics have are often way above the normal 140 mg/dl. At this point damage is permanently suffered, so it is very important that steps are taken to regulate these levels through diet, exercise and medication.

Working with a Health Professional

The guides listed above on this page are just guides.  In order to obtain a more precise Normal Gluclose Level range, you will need to work with a health care professional.  There are several factors that can influence your normal range including:

  • Age
  • Medical Condition
  • Other Factors

By working with a professional you will get a better picture of what your normal glucose level will be, and then from there you can start to design your life around staying within that range.  

While it may sound bad, what you’re more likely to find is that your improved lifestyle that focuses on keeping your blood sugar at bay will actually have a lot of hidden benefits.  There’s no time like the present to take control of your life, and even thought you could look at getting diabetes as a negative situation, if you look on the bright side, this is a good wake up call to start living a more healthy, active life.

An Explanation of the Different
Glucose Level Measurements

what is normal glucose level
what is normal glucose level

It’s important to understand what each of these different blood sugar measurements actually means and why they are important:

  • Fasting Glucose
  • 2 Hours After Eating
  • A1C

The reason why this is important, especially if you are a new diabetic, is that during your fasting glucose test you may not show signs of diabetes.

The problem arises however when you measure your blood 2 hours after eating you may clearly see that you are out of the recommended range.

Fasting Glucose

The fasting glucose measurement is taken after you haven’t eaten or drank anything for 8 hours.  This gives you a base measurement of how your body is handling the blood sugar when it is ‘at rest.’

Normal Range: 

  • < 100 mg/dl – American Diabetes Association,
  • < 6.1 mmol/L – Canadian Diabetes Association

2 Hours After Eating

This test is important because it helps you to see how certain meals are affecting your blood sugar, so that you can deal with the situation accordingly.  The two hour marker is also important because after 2 hours, the blood sugar of non-diabetics will have returned to its normal state.

Normal Range: 

  • < 140 mg/dl – American Diabetes Association,
  • < 7.8 mmol/L – Canadian Diabetes Association

A1C

This test shows if your treatment is working over time, which is important to see how you are progressing and if any adjustments need to be made.

Normal Range: < 6%

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