Immediately disappoint: no, not glitches! In fact, a glucometer is a device for measuring the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. According to recent years, diabetes is the third largest in the world after cardiovascular and oncological diseases.
In Russia, 3–4% of the population suffers from diabetes; in the USA and Europe , 4–5%. Although it seems to me that in Russia such a small percentage cannot be an objective indicator – our “detectability” is simply worse.
In a nutshell, can’t explain what diabetes is. It develops when the pancreas produces insufficient amounts of insulin, which leads to various changes in the body, including an increase in blood sugar.
Regular determination of blood sugar is a measure to prevent the occurrence of diabetic complications. It is very difficult to successfully manage your diabetes without controlling your blood sugar at home. For such home conditions, there are portable glucometers that let you know the result in a few seconds. For this, a drop of blood (from a finger or shoulder) is enough, which is placed on a disposable plate attached to the device.
The measurement frequency depends on many factors: type of diabetes (insulin-dependent, non-insulin-dependent), a person’s age, lifestyle, etc. Here you can’t rely on well-being, because the body gets used to elevated glucose levels , a person may feel good, but there will be a danger of hidden complications. Typically, blood sugar levels are determined from several times a day to several times a week. When changing your usual lifestyle (physical activity, travel, various diseases, deviation from the diet), additional measurements are required.
In our body, there is a constant increase in blood sugar (after eating), then decrease (after the pancreas has released insulin into the blood). Thanks to this regulation, the blood sugar level in healthy people is kept in the range of 3.3 – 5.5 mmol / L on an empty stomach and up to 7.8 mmol / L after eating.
- The main reason for the change in blood sugar is food (what and how much was eaten).
- Another reason may be taking medications for non-diabetes related conditions.
- Also, blood sugar changes with acute diseases – colds, flu and infectious diseases.
- In addition, sugar levels may depend on the emotional state and may change in stressful situations, as The adrenaline hormone formed in the adrenal glands also contributes to an increase in blood sugar.
It is believed that men with diabetes are twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction and that problems with an erection occur 10-15 years earlier than men without diabetes. In this case, measuring blood sugar is also crucial for health. After all, regularly monitoring this indicator, you can keep it as close to normal as possible, preventing all kinds of health problems.