A glucose tolerance test (GTT) is a useful way to determine your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. A test can be performed at home using a urine sugar testing strips or at a diabetes screening check.
Sugars are an easy way to measure your blood glucose, because most people have regular access to the special treatment called sugar in milk products.
However, many people find it difficult to measure their blood glucose this way each day. So, once a week you take your blood glucose level using the same method as always?!
This test can be done at the beginning of the week, or on days where there is no exercise planned. Either way, you must do it by midnight Tuesday through Friday and Saturday to ensure you are aware of Monday and Thursday tests.
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How to do a glucose tolerance test at home
There are several ways to do a home glucose tolerance test. The most common way is to use a standardized glucose test kit. A test kit typically costs between $20 and $30, and can be bought online or in grocery stores and pharmacies.
This test can be very useful if you are not sure if you are sufficiently insulin resistant or have elevated cholesterol levels to need more glucose for energy. Or maybe you have experienced unexplained weight gain or an uncertain diagnosis like type 2 diabetes, but your doctor does not think that diet and exercise alone will help.
This test can also be used if you need to change your diet or eat different foods because of your health condition. It is important to use the right test for the right person, however.
What happens if you have diabetes?
If you have diabetes, your doctor will test your glucose (insulin dependent type 1 or 2) or insulin (maintained type 1 or 2) levels to see if they are too high.
A glucose tolerance test (GTT) can be done at your doctor’s office, but it requires a testing kit and a lot of time to accomplish. You can do your GTT at home using a well-known test called the Glucoenceense test.
This test requires no special equipment and takes about thirty minutes to complete. You can do this several times per day to keep up with your blood sugar level changes.
When starting the Glucoenceense test, it is important to wait until morning because the results take about an hour to come in. You must also be prepared for the results because they may be surprising.
Who should do a glucose tolerance test?
If you think you may have type 2 diabetes, an alternate test is the home glucose tolerance test. This test can be done at home using a testing device or by simply walking around and checking your blood sugar.
You can also take a second sample if your blood sugar goes down. This is useful if you change jobs or when switching between using food and medicine for diabetes.
Home tests are not as accurate as the test at the grocery store, but they are very convenient to have at home. Plus, it may help get your results more quickly if you are on a strict diet and exercise plan.
If you have type 1 diabetes, there is no substitute for the doctor-ordered glucose tolerance test because there is not an equivalent to insulin in your body to break down glucose into useable energy.
What time of the day should you do the test?
There are two times of the day when you can do a glucose tolerance test at home. You can do the test in the morning or after school or while you’re awake.
In the morning, you can eat anything and still get your test. You can even eat sugar cubes if that’s your preference!
You should wait about an hour before eating another food to make sure your pancreas has enough glucose to process it. If you eat something within minutes of taking in food, your pancreas may not have enough energy to process it.
The second time of the day is after school or during homework time. You can do this late at night or on weekends because there isn’t much family around to do the test for you.
How to prepare for a glucose tolerance test
There are two ways to prepare for a glucose tolerance test at home. The first is to measure your blood sugar levels five to six hours before you eat and see if they match your predicted results. Or you can do something more comprehensive to reduce your risk of having a high blood sugar.
The latter is doing the HbA1c test at home. This test can be done in several ways: at the doctor’s office, in your own bathroom with a handheld beta-glucuronidase (BgU) test, or in your own kitchen using a glucose and ketone tests.
Many people find the HbA1c test easiest to do in the kitchen because it is often the first place they come when they’re hungry after exercising. You can also do this right away!
Either way, you want to have this test as early as possible so you are able to manage any hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or overscheduling of the doctor’s appointment.
What happens during the test?
The test can be done at your doctor’s office, but it can also be done at home. There are many ways to do the test at home. You can do it in the kitchen,or in your bathroom! You can also do it in your sleep-deprived state, either before or after you eat a test meal.
The test requires a blood glucose solution called an A1C solution. This is a clear liquid that contains glucose. The A1C solution must be administered within two weeks of the test and stored in a refrigerator or safe-storage container.
There are several reasons you would want to have the A1 C solution for your test: To check yourself for insulin resistance or beta-cell failure, because if your cells cannot use glucose, you may not have enough energy to handle your daily demands.
How long does a glucose tolerance test take?
After you take the test, you may be able to eat whatever you want for about an hour after the test. This is because the glucose tests can determine whether or not someone has enough glucose, or sugar, in their blood.
Some tests can even determine if someone has diabetes!
After your test, you will receive a small amount of blood to check for results. If your results show that you have too little glucose, than you can increase your intake of carbs and/or insulin to increase uptake and release of glucose into your system.
Does it hurt?
Glucose tolerance test is a test you can do at home. Some people find it very easy to accept glucose as the normal environment, and others cannot. If you can’t do the glucose tolerance test at home, you can go to a nearby lab for help.
The procedure varies based on what type of glucose testing device you need. Some devices require you to be in a certain state of readiness before the sensor is placed in your mouth. Other devices simply place the sensor in and send out a result.
If you decide to go through this process at home, here are some tips to help make it easier: Use warm water on your hands and feet to prepare, set up the testing site if possible with as much privacy as possible, and be prepared for the result.