Whether you are young or old and live with diabetes, controlling blood sugar levels will help with how food, activity levels, stress and medicine can influence your health.

Diabetes takes place when a person’s body does not make enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. There are two types of diabetes, type 1, which is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, occurs when the body does not produce any insulin. Only five to 10 percent of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.

Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, in which the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin.

The blood glucose level is the amount of glucose (sugar that comes from the foods we eat) in the blood. To handle blood sugar levels, you should watch over the food you eat, the amount of exercise you do and monitor the medications you take. Taking a medicine, such as blood pressure medicine or birth control pills, can cause changes in your test results and should be discussed with your doctor.

A single high blood sugar reading more often than not is not a danger signal as it happens to everyone at one time or another.

Using a meter is the most accurate way to check your blood sugar levels. A blood glucose test determines the amount of sugar in your blood. To test your own blood sugar, a tiny drop of blood and a meter will be necessary.

Self-tests are generally done before meals, after meals and at bedtime. A self-test kit typically takes in the glucometer, test strips, lancets and a lancet holder that pierces the finger for the drop of blood.

For most people, good levels fall into the following ranges:

On waking up (before breakfast) 70 to 120

Before Meals 70 to 120

2 Hours After Meals 160 or less

At Bedtime 100 to 140

The outcome should be written down in a record book or you can use a small notebook for recording the results. The log should include the dates, days of the week, sugar levels and any additional information.

You should also keep a close look to see if your blood sugar level is too high or too low several days in a row at the same time. Should the levels be too high or too low, it might be time to change your plan. Levels that remain high over time can damage your eyes, kidneys and blood vessels while low blood sugar usually occurs from not eating enough food or taking too much medicine.

You should increase physical activity as part of your daily routine, cut down on the amount of food you eat and drink plenty of water every day, according to the American Diabetes Association. You should also educate yourself about how your body works as following doctor’s orders may just not be enough.

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