Many people appear not to (completely) know what glucose really is. And what do we actually measure with a glucose meter? Time to delve a little deeper into the concept behind diabetes.
Glucose is fuel for your body. Foods containing carbohydrates are converted into glucose in the stomach and intestines. Glucose is absorbed into the blood. From there it goes to muscles and organs. To get glucose into your body cells, your body uses insulin. Cells then convert the glucose into energy, which allows you to move, think and everything else. From brain to intestines: all your organs need glucose to function.
The body is constantly trying to find the right balance in the glucose level in the blood. This is also called the blood sugar level. This level increases after eating a meal with carbohydrates. The hormone insulin ensures that the tissues absorb glucose. This brings the blood sugar level back into balance.
sugar level
A stable sugar level is very important for your health. Unfortunately, many people have too high or too low blood sugar levels. Too high a blood sugar level (hyper) has consequences, but only in the long term. You will notice a sugar level that is too low (hypo) much faster. A low blood sugar level can be caused by eating too little, strenuous exercise, forgetting to take medication, but also by excessive alcohol consumption.
The complaints vary per person. The symptoms that may occur with a low blood sugar level are: dizzy, mood swings, palpitations, fainting, hungry, dizzy, restlessness, headache and trembling. The best way to prevent this is to consume sugar. This can be a soft drink, grape sugar or water/tea with sugar. It is also of great use in time and regularly in the prevention or recovery of low blood sugar levels.
Diabetes
People with diabetes can no longer properly remove glucose from the blood. The body no longer produces insulin or responds less well to insulin. This keeps the glucose in the blood. So it does not go to the organs. This causes the blood sugar level to become too high. Without treatment, people can faint or even fall into a coma. If your body does not produce insulin itself, you will need to inject insulin or use an insulin pump.
Measure glucose levels
If you suffer from type 2 diabetes or you think your glucose level has increased, you can measure yourself. From home and without the intervention of a doctor. You can find out your glucose levels with a glucose meter. Some diabetics do this daily, others weekly. But frequent measurements provide the right insight.
Which glucose value is healthy and which is harmful? Below in the overview table you can clearly see which value is healthy and which glucose value can lead to diabetes. The division is based on a fasting measurement and a non-fasting measurement.
Blood sugar values (fasting)
- Below 6,1 mmol / l - no diabetes
- Between 6,1 and 6,9 mmol / l - preliminary phase of diabetes
- Above 6,9 mmol / l - diabetes
Blood sugar values (non-fasting)
- Below 7,8 mmol / l - no diabetes
- Between 7,8 and 11 mmol / l - preliminary phase of diabetes
- Above 11 mmol / l - diabetes
Glucose meters
When measuring blood sugar, the finger is often pricked to obtain a drop of blood. You put this drop of blood on a special test strip, a white cardboard strip. Place the test strip in the glucose meter. This then indicates how high the blood sugar value is at that moment. There are different types of blood sugar meters with matching test strips. They often work slightly differently, but the principle of finger pricking remains the same. Unfortunately, measuring blood sugar in this way has a major impact on the lives of diabetes patients. But fortunately you can measure at home.
There are glucose meters which, in addition to blood sugar, also measure the ketone level in the blood. Ketones are an alternative fuel for the body when there is insufficient glucose in the blood. Ketones and glucose are therefore correlated and ketones are often seen as an indicator. If someone has a hyper, ketones are also often measured. A dual meter has therefore become very popular in recent years.