Diabetes is a chronic illness that impairs your body's capacity to create and effectively use the hormone insulin. Insulin controls your blood sugar levels, and without insulin management, your body cannot correctly store sugar or use it as energy. When diabetes is left untreated, it causes high blood sugar, which can harm the organs, neurons, and blood vessels of your body over time. This is the reason why a diabetes check is such an important step for your health. 

Timely diagnosis is possible if you are checking blood sugar levels regularly, and treatment can begin early to decrease the intensity of the symptoms. This way, you can avert long-term health complications from diabetes-related high blood sugar.   

What is a Diabetes Test?

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body uses glucose, or blood sugar, which is your body’s primary energy source. Normally, the hormone insulin facilitates the uptake of glucose by cells from your blood circulation, however, diabetes prevents your body from producing enough insulin or causes insulin to function improperly. As a result, there might be dangerously elevated glucose levels, which results in health issues such as heart disease, nerve damage, vision issues, and renal illness. 

To determine if you have diabetes or are at risk for it, you can opt for a diabetes check. There are multiple techniques for these diabetes tests, and your doctor will suggest the one that will be best for you. Early detection is the best method for diabetes management, and that’s why you should never ignore your doctor’s advice when you are told to go for a diabetes test.  

Why is it Necessary to Check Blood Sugar Levels?

If you do not have diabetes, you need to take blood sugar tests to be sure that your blood sugar levels are normal. If you have diabetes, the key to assessing the efficacy of your current treatment plan is regularly checking blood sugar levels. Your doctor may use the findings of blood sugar monitoring to guide your diet, exercise routine, and insulin intake. Remember that keeping an eye on your blood sugar is particularly crucial if you use insulin to manage blood sugar levels. 

Your blood sugar might be impacted by several factors, and some of these factors are very difficult or impossible to foresee. If your healthcare practitioner advises you to check your blood sugar on a frequent basis for effective diabetes management, it's crucial to do so.

For instance, eating carbs, not taking enough insulin or diabetic medicine, skipping a dosage, continuous inactivity, and using drugs that include corticosteroids usually result in elevated blood sugar levels. Chronic stress, smoking, and early-morning spike in blood sugar are also the causes of elevated blood sugar levels. Activities such as skipping meals, using excessive amounts of insulin or diabetic medicine, and too much exercise usually reduce blood sugar levels, but it is not sustainable. A diabetes check is necessary because of these many variables affecting your blood sugar levels.  

How Often Should You Get Advanced Blood Sugar Tests?

How regularly you should be checking blood sugar levels entirely depends on the medications you take, your general health, your family history of diabetes, and your stress level. If your blood glucose is not at target & your test shows any other abnormality then you need to repeat these tests every 3 months or as appropriate by your treating physicians with diabetes if your parameters are within range, then you need to test all parameters at least once in a year to know that you are doing good.

Tests for Blood Sugar Check 

There are many blood tests that may be used to detect diabetes, and usually, your doctor will choose which kind of blood test you need after discussing your diabetes symptoms. These tests are not complicated, but remember that you might need to fast, depending on the type of test you have. 

These are the most common diabetes check blood tests: 

1. HbA1c

The primary blood test for diabetes diagnosis is the HbA1c test, and it measures your blood sugar averages over the last two to three months. A sample of your blood is drawn from your arm vein for this test, and the test results are typically sent to you within a few days. Your doctor can determine whether you have diabetes based on the result data, and if necessary, your doctor will begin treatment. 

2. Random Blood Glucose Test 

You might be subjected to a random blood test at any time of day if you have severe diabetes symptoms. This is a fast test where blood may be taken from an arm vein or by using a finger prick. If your test is done via a finger-prick, you will receive the results immediately by using a glucometer device, but if blood is taken from your vein, you will need a few days to receive the results. 

3. Fasting Blood Sugar Test

FPG test, short for fasting plasma glucose test, is often used to diagnose diabetes. For this test, blood is drawn from your arm vein and sent to the lab for testing. You must abstain from food and liquids for at least eight hours before the event, and this process is followed to prevent any interference with the outcome. If possible, the simplest option is to fast overnight and take the test first thing in the morning, so that you can carry on with your usual activities. After you receive the results, your diabetes treatment can begin under the strict supervision of your doctor. 

4. Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)

The glucose tolerance test, also known as the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), determines if your body is able to metabolize sugar from meals and beverages. You need to have a fasting test first, and blood will be drawn from an arm vein for testing. After that, you'll get a sweet drink with typical sugar content, and this is done to test your body's ability to keep your blood sugar at a normal level. After two hours, blood will be drawn once more for the second test.  

5. Urine Testing for Ketones in T1DM

Diabetes cannot always be diagnosed with urine testing, however, if a doctor suspects you could have type 1 diabetes, urine testing can be used as a diabetes check. When the body uses adipose tissue as fuel rather than glucose, it creates substances known as ketones, and testing labs are able to detect these ketone molecules in urine. If your urine contains moderate to high levels of ketones, this may be a sign that your body is not producing enough insulin to break down glucose for energy.

Final Remarks

Although diabetes is a chronic illness, and the diabetes symptoms can be difficult to manage, with proper treatment, this illness can be kept in control. However, without effective diabetes treatment, the condition can become life-threatening and have major long-term health implications. That is why it's critical to get checked for diabetes on a regular basis and start treatment as soon as possible for diabetes management.