Blood Glucose Testing Many people think they can tell what their blood sugar is by how they feel. But, some people can feel "high" when their blood sugar is low, and some can feel "low" when their blood sugar is normal or high. The only way to know for sure is to test their blood sugar.
Research shows that keeping blood sugar levels in an acceptable target range helps prevent the complications associated with diabetes. People with diabetes can lower their risk for eye problems, kidney disease, nerve damage, and heart problems. And, understanding how to balance their blood sugar levels can help them feel better day to day.
Self-Monitoring
High blood sugars can make someone feel sluggish, and cause thirst and frequent urination. Low blood sugars can make a person feel shaky and sweaty and, because low blood sugar requires immediate action, episodes of low blood sugar can significantly interrupt the day. People need to talk to their healthcare provider about
self-monitoring their blood glucose.
Bayer’s lineup of blood glucose meters, such as the
CONTOUR® and
BREEZE®2 are designed to help you take an active role in controlling your diabetes and make your simple wins easier to achieve.
Additional Testing
Testing your own blood sugar often is a big part of proactive management, but you need to test more than just blood sugar. Testing also includes a test done by your doctor, called Hemoglobin or A1C testing, which looks at your average blood sugar level over the last 2 to 3 months; and ketone testing, which makes sure your body isn't burning fat instead of sugar. You also need to watch your weight, blood pressure and blood fats, called
lipids.
Testing also lets you see how "behavior" affects blood sugar. How much did exercise lower your sugar level? How did over-eating change your blood sugar level? Use testing as a tool to learn more about you and your diabetes.
A1CNow® SELFCHECK is the simple way to check on your A1C level at home, between doctor visits. Along with regular doctor visits and routine blood glucose monitoring, A1CNow® SELFCHECK lets you know where you stand, so you can get to where you need to be. Bayer's A1CNow® SELFCHECK, when used in conjunction with Bayer's blood glucose meters, may help you achieve tighter control in managing your diabetes, and may reduce long-term complications.
How can testing help?
The most recent studies that have been done on diabetes show how much you can gain from tightly controlling your blood sugar:
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)
The DCCT is a clinical study conducted in the United States from 1983 to 1993 by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The DCCT was a study of 1,441 people with type 1 diabetes. This study showed that take-charge management can lower the risk of complications from diabetes. People in this study who used take-charge management had average blood sugar levels near normal. They had a lower risk of eye disease, kidney disease and nerve damage. This study showed that even lowering your HbA1C by 1% helped lower your risk of future problems from diabetes.
The Kumamoto Study
The Kumamoto study, which was conducted in Japan, was for people with type 2 diabetes. This study had similar results to the DCCT. People with good control had fewer problems with their eyes and kidneys and less nerve damage.
The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS)
The UKPDS is the largest study of people with type 2 diabetes. Over 5,000 people took part in this study. The UKPDS showed that very good control of blood sugar lowers your risk of getting complications. Even small changes in blood sugar control were shown to have big effects on your risk for complications. This study also showed that you might need to make changes to your treatment plan and medications over time. Control of high blood pressure and blood fats was shown to be helpful as well.