How to Prepare for Your First Blood Glucose Test

Two major factors that have led to an exponential rise of diabetes in the modern times are environmental factors and genetics. As a part of diabetes diagnosis, a blood glucose test is performed. This helps lower the burden of the disease by distinguishing between diabetics and prediabetics.

Blood Glucose and Type 2 Diabetes   
Type 2 diabetes is usually common in obese adults. Affected people are unable to respond to the insulin present in their bodies and eventually might not produce enough of it to monitor the blood glucose levels. Through a glucose test, the sugar levels in the bloodstream can be determined. Hyperglycemia or high glucose indicates that you are a diabetic patient. Prolonged high blood glucose levels can lead to other ailments, such as kidney failure and heart disease.

Blood Glucose and Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy, a glucose test is done to check whether the sugar levels are under control. Gestational diabetes can pose health risks, since it is associated with high glucose content. However, this is usually cured once the baby has been delivered. Regular tests will help determine if the condition is being managed effectively.

Blood Glucose Test Preparation

To make sure your test results are precise and easy to interpret, doctors often recommend fasting. Blood sugar levels after eating tend to soar and then fall about two hours later. Therefore, you are not supposed to consume anything, except water, for eight hours before the test. Make sure you inform the doctor about any medication you might be on, so that the test results are not affected. Birth control pills, lithium, phenytoin, aspirin, corticosteroids and hormone therapy drugs can affect the glucose levels.

Apart from this, make sure you are not stressed, either mentally or physically. This can lead to a spike in the sugar levels. In case you have recently undergone any mental trauma, heart attack or physical injury, inform the doctor beforehand.

In case of a random glucose test, no dietary changes are required and you can eat and drink whenever you wish to.

In case of gestational diabetes, the glucose test preparation is slightly different. You are required to consume a drink containing sugar and the blood will be taken an hour later. In case the glucose level is high, a second test will be performed. You will have to follow the same process, but blood will be drawn 3 times at one-hour intervals. In this, blood sugar levels are not tested after eating or drinking and you will have to fast for 8 to 14 hours prior to the screening.

How To Ace a Blood Glucose Test
A glucose test is the first step to reverse diabetes. Schedule it early in the morning, so that you don’t have to fast for too long. After the test, make sure to eat some feel good food, even low-fat ice cream could be an option.

You can always get back to your doctor to understand the test results better.