Why do you need to know your glucose level? This is a substance that plays a huge biological role in the human body. About what is its norm in the blood, we will tell in the presented article.
General information
Surely each of you at least once in your life donated blood to determine the level of glucose. This is a fairly standard procedure during a medical examination. It should be noted that the word "glucose" comes from the ancient Greek λυκύς, which literally translates as "sweet".
This substance is the main and most versatile source of energy for all metabolic processes occurring in the human body. It is found in the juices of a huge number of berries and fruits, including grapes.
So what is glucose? The formula for this six-atom sugar is as follows - C6H12O6. It should also be noted that the glucose link is part of some disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and m altose) and polysaccharides (glycogen, starch and cellulose).
Physical properties of glucose
This is a crystalline colorless substance,which has a sweet taste. It is easily soluble in water, as well as in an ammonia solution of copper hydroxide, concentrated zinc chloride and sulfuric acid.
The biological role of sugar
It is extremely important to know your glucose level. Indeed, in the human body, it is the main source of energy. As you know, the blood sugar level in young children and adults is the same. This is due to the fact that it is regulated by the nervous and endocrine systems. If its level is too high or, conversely, lowered, then this indicates a malfunction in the body.
How much sugar should I have?
Glucose should normally be in the range from 3.3 to 5.5 mmol/l. But the physiological processes that continuously occur in the body during digestion can quite easily influence its level. This is due to the fact that after food enters the gastrointestinal tract, simple carbohydrates are immediately absorbed into the blood. At the same time, complex ones are broken down to simple ones by means of enzymes, and then they also enter the bloodstream. As a result of such chemical actions, sugar levels can rise significantly. Its excess goes to the liver. In between meals, when the glucose content drops noticeably, it is quickly removed from its kind of "storage" to maintain the required minimum level.
Low Glucose
This phenomenon can be observed due to insufficient intake of simple carbohydrates in the body (for example, during diets). Also, the sugar level drops noticeably immediately.or after exercise or hard physical work. Deficiency of this substance in the blood is not uncommon for nursing mothers, as they "share" it with their child.
It should be especially noted that if sugar remains low long enough, it can lead to a hypoglycemic state. By the way, such a deviation is observed not only after heavy physical exertion or with a lack of carbohydrates, but also with violations of the pancreas, liver or kidneys.
High blood sugar
Every day there are more and more people with such a disease as diabetes. This is due not only to the fact that people began to consume a huge amount of simple carbohydrates, but also to the fact that most of them stopped leading a mobile lifestyle.
The main symptom of diabetes is hyperglycemia. This term is used to make a diagnosis only when glucose is elevated in a person's blood. An analysis to detect this abnormality is carried out by a standard laboratory blood test, which is taken from a finger or a vein.
The main problem in the diagnosis of diabetes is that this deviation can occur for a long time without any symptoms. That is why blood is taken from people at risk two or three times a year to detect high sugar.
Let's consider together who is predisposed to this disease:
- obese people;
- people with vascular disorders.
Reasonsthat can contribute to the development of this disease:
- hereditary predisposition (if one of the relatives has this pathology);
- autoimmune diseases;
- viral infections, etc.
Main signs of high glucose
To understand what level of sugar you have, you should definitely donate blood for analysis. However, there are also signs by which you can understand that your body is suffering from an excess of this substance:
- fatigue;
- weight loss with good appetite;
- weakness;
- constant thirst;
- excessive and frequent urination;
- dry mouth;
- headaches.
In addition, the following symptoms are characteristic of high blood glucose: nighttime urge to urinate, pustular lesions on the skin, difficult-to-heal ulcers and boils, wounds and scratches that do not heal for a long time, a general decrease in immunity, decreased performance, frequent colds, decreased vision, itching in the groin, etc.
Signs of low blood glucose
Symptoms of such a pathological condition may be:
- appearance of trembling in the upper and lower limbs;
- decrease in visual acuity;
- dizziness;
- sluggishness;
- low blood pressure;
- drowsy;
- excessive sweating;
- delayed response;
- cold limbs as well as ears andnose;
- reduced performance due to energy loss;
- nausea.
