Why It’s Important To Check Your Blood Sugar Levels

Posted on by Jordan Soblick

Once you receive a diagnosis that you have diabetes, you will quickly get an education about blood sugar levels, how they impact your condition, and how to keep them at a healthy and optimal level. You will also learn that managing your diabetes requires thoughtfulness, planning, and a commitment to living a lifestyle that will increase your health and well-being while helping you avoid many of the serious complications that can arise with the condition.

One central aspect of diabetes management is knowing what your blood glucose levels are throughout the day. Vigilant and regular checking and monitoring of blood sugar levels can help you make the adjustments and take the steps needed to keep those levels in check and keep diabetes from disrupting your life.

But why is glucose monitoring so important, and how can you do so in the most convenient and accessible way?

Blood Sugar Level Is The Key Indicator Of Potential Diabetes Complications

While there is no cure for diabetes, the condition can be managed in a way that minimizes its impact on your health and lifestyle. But if you treat diabetes as an afterthought or nuisance and fail to keep blood sugar levels under control, the complications can be severe, and even deadly.

Too much blood sugar accumulating in your bloodstream can lead to a host of severe health problems, including:

  • nerve damage
  • kidney damage
  • high blood pressure
  • stroke
  • glaucoma
  • skin problems

Symptoms of High Blood Glucose Levels

Even if you don’t actively check your blood sugar levels (which you absolutely should), your body will let you know there is a problem. Some of these signs that your blood sugar may be too high include:

  • fatigue
  • extreme thirst
  • shortness of breath
  • fruity breath
  • frequent urination
  • dry mouth
  • nausea

Signs of Low Blood Glucose Levels:

When your blood sugar gets too low, the symptoms can be even more dramatic and include:

  • dizziness
  • confusion
  • weakness
  • difficulty speaking
  • shaking

Blood Sugar Changes Throughout The Day

Regular checking of blood sugar levels throughout the day is critical because blood sugar levels don’t stay the same throughout the day. This is especially true after meals, exercise, or when under stress.

You should check your blood sugar regularly, even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms of a high or low glucose level. Some people with high and low blood sugar don’t have any symptoms.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Makes Checking Blood Sugar Easy and Accurate

Traditionally, checking blood sugar levels involved the use of a glucometer. But meters, as they are also called, require the user to prick their finger to get a blood sample and do so multiple times a day.

Understandably, many folks don’t look forward to regularly causing themselves discomfort. Nor do people with diabetes enjoy breaking up their day or stopping whatever they’re doing to draw blood and put it on a test strip. That is why so many people look for alternatives to meters when it comes to blood sugar monitoring.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is the alternative that people living with diabetes have been looking for. CGM is a proven, approved, and easy-to-use transceiver device that provides real-time glucose readings every few minutes through a tiny sensor underneath the skin. This sensor measures your interstitial glucose level and then sends the data to a pager-like monitor or an app on your smartphone. An alarm will sound if your blood sugar becomes too high or too low.

With easy-to-use features that can help each person proactively record and track glucose levels—as well as provide valuable insights on data that helps manage exercise, meals, and daily health status—CGM is a game-changer for individuals with diabetes.

If you have recently received a diagnosis of diabetes, ask your doctor about CGM and contact us today to see if you qualify for CGM and access our guide to continuous glucose monitoring.

CALL US TO QUALIFY NOW

If you are not insured, or have a high deductible health insurance plan, you can still purchase the Freestyle Libre Reader and Sensors at extremely competitive prices. Prices starting as low as $99 per month

1-888-308-0094

*Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings when you suspect readings may be in accurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

Reference 1: Data on file. Abbott Diabetes Care. 2, FreeStyle Libre 14 day User’s Manual

Indications and Important Safety Information

FreeStyle Libre and FreeStyle Libre 14 day Flash Glucose Monitoring systems are continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices indicated for replacing blood glucose testing and detecting trends and tracking patterns aiding in the detection of episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, facilitating both acute and long-term therapy adjustments in persons (age 18 and older) with diabetes. The systems are intended for single patient use and require a prescription.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Remove the sensor before MRI, CT scan, X-ray, or diathermy treatment.

WARNINGS/LIMITATIONS: Do not ignore symptoms that may be due to low or high blood glucose, hypoglycemic unawareness, or dehydration. Check sensor glucose readings with a blood glucose meter when Check Blood Glucose symbol appears, when symptoms do not match system readings, or when readings are suspected to be inaccurate. The system does not have alarms unless the sensor is scanned, and the system contains small parts that may be dangerous if swallowed. The system is not approved for pregnant women, persons on dialysis, or critically-ill population. Sensor placement is not approved for sites other than the back of the arm and standard precautions for transmission of blood borne pathogens should be taken. The built-in blood glucose meter is not for use on dehydrated, hypotensive, in shock, hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar state, with or without ketosis, neonates, critically-ill patients, or for diagnosis or screening of diabetes. When using FreeStyle LibreLink app, access to a blood glucose monitoring system is required as the app does not provide one. Review all product information before use or contact Abbott Toll Free (855-632-8658) or visit www.freestylelibre.us for detailed indications for use and safety information.html. . FreeStyle, Libre, and related brand marks are trademarks of Abbott Diabetes Care Inc. in various jurisdictions. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2018 Abbott. ADC-09691 vLO 10/18

*The FreeStyle LibreLink app and the FreeStyle Libre 14 day reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol, when symptoms do not match system readings, when you suspect readings may be inaccurate, or when you experience symptoms that may be due to high or low blood glucose.

The FreeStyle Libre 2 app and the FreeStyle Libre 2 reader have similar but not identical features. Fingersticks are required for treatment decisions when you see Check Blood Glucose symbol and when your glucose alarms and readings from the system do not match symptoms or expectations

‡‡‡Based on the sensor being replaced once every 14 days, and scanned at least once every 8 hours.

§§§Glucose readings are not available during 1-hour warm-up, when sensor is too hot or too cold, when you see an error or "LO" or "HI" message, or no current glucose reading