The Diabetes Lifestyle - Maintaining the Quality of Life
Blood Sugar - control of blood glucose levels is essential in managing diabetes.
By blood sugar we mean the level of glucose in the bloodstream. In diabetics and pre-diabetics it is frequently higher than normal.
Consistently elevated blood sugar levels cause damage to the eyes, heart,liver and kidneys and must be avoided by adjusting diet or medications or a combination of both. The condition of non-transient elevated blood sugar levels is known as hyperglycemia (which is the opposite of hypoglycemia - very low blood sugar levels)
Measurement for blood sugar levels is carried out by testing a tiny blood sample using a glucometer machine. A spring loaded lancet is usually used to make the incision and modern ones are almost painless.
For a free glucometer machine check out the information here.
In the US measurement is in units of milligram (mg) per 100 milliliters (ml) of blood whereas in Europe Micro moles per liter (mmo/l) are used. The normal is a range of 100-130 on the US scale and between 6 and 7 on the European scale.