August 15, 2006
Manage your blood sugar
Adapted from the American Diabetes Association
For people with diabetes, monitoring blood glucose (sugar) is an important part of daily diabetes management. Lowering your blood sugar can help prevent serious health complications, including heart disease and nerve, eye, kidney or blood vessel damage. If you have diabetes, work with your health care team as soon as possible to identify your blood glucose target range.
Uncontrolled blood glucose can significantly increase your risk for heart disease and other complications. The good news is that small improvements in blood sugar can translate into tremendous health benefits. For instance, lowering your A1C by one percentage point can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 16 percent and eye, kidney and nerve complications by up to 35 percent.
It is important to understand what can make your blood glucose rise or fall, so that you can take steps to stay on target.
What Can Make Blood Glucose Rise
- A meal or snack with more food or more carbohydrates than usual
- Inactivity
- Side effects of other medications
- Not enough diabetes medication
- Infection or other illness
- Changes in hormone levels, such as during menstrual periods
- Stress
- A meal or snack with less food or fewer carbohydrates than usual
- Extra activity
- Side effects of other medications
- Too much diabetes medication
- Missing a meal or snack
- Drinking alcoholic beverages (especially on an empty stomach)
When using a blood glucose meter, be sure that you learn the correct way of using it. While meters are very accurate, it is easy to make mistakes. To avoid this, keep the following in mind when doing these tests.
- Make sure the meter is clean.
- Be sure that the meter and strip are room temperature.
- Make sure the test strip is not outdated.
- Check that the meter is calibrated for the current box of test strips.
- Verify that you have a large enough drop of blood. (All of the yellow should disappear rapidly.)
Another way to control your blood glucose level is to check your glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) using the A1C test. This lab test measures your average blood glucose levels for the past two to three months, and should be done at least twice a year. Be sure to discuss your A1C results with your provider and ask how you can better manage your blood glucose. Although the A1C test is important, it cannot replace daily self-testing. There is no way to adjust insulin on the basis of your A1C test.
While monitoring blood sugar is essential to good diabetes care, studies have shown that diabetes must be managed comprehensively to reduce the risk of life-threatening complications. A helpful way to keep track of these components is the ABCs of Diabetes.
- A: A1C should be less than 7 and checked at least twice a year.
- B: Blood pressure should be below 130/80 and measured at every visit.
- C: Cholesterol (LDL or "bad") should be below 100 and checked once a year with fasting lipid panel.
$5000 school diabetes grant information coming soon
Schools will be receiving invitations to apply for grants up to $5000 during the first week of September. Be thinking of programs for your school that will increase physical activity and reduce diabetes risk. Remember, diabetes can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy and staying active!
Diabetes Radio Show
Tune into the Diabetes Radio Program the 2nd Wednesdays of the month at 10 AM. You are invited to call in any questions you might have about diabetes. Call 1-877-543-6133 if you have a suggestion for the naming the program. The best suggestion will get a prize!
Diabetes magazine
Copies of the magazine "DIABETES FORECAST" are being sent monthly to the village clinics. Ask to borrow a copy to learn the latest about diabetes. They always include some good recipes, too!