What does it mean when your glucose meter says low? What causes low blood glucose? For most people, low blood glucose refers to anything below 3.89 mmol/L, (70 mg/dL) although your number may be different.
What does it mean when your glucose meter says low?
What causes low blood glucose? For most people, low blood glucose refers to anything below 3.89 mmol/L, (70 mg/dL) although your number may be different. Low blood glucose can be caused by taking too much medication, not having enough to eat or exercising.
What glucose level is dangerously low?
Treating Severely Low Blood Sugar Blood sugar below 55 mg/dL is considered severely low. You won’t be able to treat it using the 15-15 rule.
How do you treat a low glucose value?
When You Have Low Blood Sugar First, eat or drink 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate, such as: Three to four glucose tablets. One tube of glucose gel. Four to six pieces of hard candy (not sugar-free)
What causes lower than expected glucose reading?
Accuracy may be limited due to strip manufacturing variances, strip storage, and aging. They may also be due to limitations on the environment such as temperature or altitude or to patient factors such as improper coding, incorrect hand washing, altered hematocrit, or naturally occurring interfering substances.
How low will a glucose meter read?
Like many meters, LifeScan’s units only show a numerical value for anything between 20-600, while anything outside that range just displays an “Extreme Low Glucose (below 20 mg/dL)” or “Extreme High Glucose (above 600 mg/dL)” message.
What should I eat when my sugar is low?
Eat or drink a quickly digested carbohydrate food, such as:
- ½ cup fruit juice.
- ½ cup of a regular soft drink (not a diet soda)
- 1 cup of milk.
- 5 or 6 hard candies.
- 4 or 5 saltine crackers.
- 2 tablespoons of raisins.
- 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar or honey.
- 3 or 4 glucose tablets or a serving of glucose gel.
How can I tell if my glucose meter is accurate?
Check your blood sugar level with your meter at the same time that blood is drawn for lab tests. Then compare your meter’s reading with the lab results. Results that are within 15 percent of the lab reading are considered accurate.