Understanding Blood Sugar Tests and Levels

The purpose of a blood sugar test is to measure the way sugar, also known as glucose, is processed by your body. Glucose is the body’s primary source of energy, which it gets from foods that are carbohydrates.

Certain tests that measure blood sugar are used to make the diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes, while other tests will show how well your diabetes is being managed. They are also used to check for gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and to see if there is an blood sugar level that is abnormally low, which is a condition called hypoglycemia.

One test for determining your blood sugar levels is called a fasting blood sugar test. Often this is the first test that is given to check for diabetes. This test is given after you have fasted, which means that you have not had any food or liquid for eight hours or more. A health care professional will stop the blood flow in your in arm by wrapping an elastic band around the upper part of your arm in order to make it easier to find a vein. Blood is extracted from the vein and tested.

The normal range for blood sugar levels after  fasting is below 100. If your fasting level is 100 to 125 your are classified as prediabetic. If your blood sugar level is 126 or above, you are classified as diabetic. Your medical practitioner may have you repeat the blood sugar test after a few days to confirm the diagnosis. For people that have a blood sugar level test with results of 200 or more, their medical practitioner will not usually require a second blood test to make the diagnosis of diabetes.

Another test to measure blood sugar levels is called the 2-hour postprandial blood sugar test.  During this test it is important that your blood glucose level be tested exactly two hours after a meal has been eaten. This test is usually done at home using a home glucose monitor.

A random blood sugar test , also called a casual blood glucose test, can be taken at any time throughout the day.  It does not matter when you have eaten, and often throughout the day several random testings are taken. In healthy people their blood sugar levels do not vary very much throughout the day.  If the test results show a wide variation in the blood sugar levels, it is a good indication that there may be a problem, and possible diabetes.

Another test that is used to diagnose diabetes or prediabetes is called an oral glucose tolerance test.  This test consists of a series of measurements of your blood glucose that are taken after you drink a liquid that is very sweet, containing glucose.  This test is generally given to women that are  pregnant in order to check for gestational diabetes.

The tests used for the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes are all simple, quick and painless. If you are experiencing symptoms of diabetes, tell your medical practitioner and have a blood sugar test. The earlier diabetes is diagnosed the better of you will be.