Potassium is a mineral in your body that is really important for your health. It helps with things like controlling how much fluid is in your body, keeping your acid levels balanced, and making sure your nerves and muscles work right. Also, your body mostly keeps potassium inside your cells, and your kidneys help control how much potassium is in your blood.
Moreover, imbalanced levels of potassium can create complications and potentially hazardous situations. Additionally, doctors often test your potassium levels by checking your blood or urine. However, it is possible that you can analyze your potassium levels at home. Here, we will explain different potassium levels and how you can check them at home.
What Happens When Your Potassium Levels Are Not Balanced?
The results of a potassium test show how much potassium is in your blood, which is really important for your body to work properly. Normal potassium levels can vary depending on the lab that does the test, but usually, it ranges between 3.6 and 5.2 millimoles per liter. Thus, it is best to ask your doctor what your specific results mean.
If your potassium levels are too low, it is called hypokalemia, and it can happen for different reasons, such as not getting enough potassium in your diet. Also, it can happen when you are suffering from certain health conditions like kidney disease and diabetes or taking certain medicines. On the other hand, if your potassium levels are too high, it is called hyperkalemia, and it can be dangerous, especially if it’s really high (more than 7.0 millimoles).
Moreover, high potassium levels can be caused by things like eating too much potassium through diet or supplements or taking certain medicines. Also, when you are suffering from health conditions like kidney failure or diabetes, potassium levels can go higher.
5 Effortless Methods To Check Your Potassium Levels At Home
1. Observe Your Diet Intake
When you want to check potassium levels at home, you can do it by observing your food intake. Thus, if you are eating potassium-rich foods like bananas, avocados, dried fruits, etc., then your potassium levels would be fine. Also, higher potassium levels are not good for your body, but it is unlikely to increase too much potassium levels through your diet.
2. Go For The Fingerstick Test
You can conduct the fingerstick test at home to know your potassium levels. For this, you can buy several kits from your local pharmacy. Also, these kits work similarly to those that you have used to check your blood sugar levels at home. Moreover, you should use these kits carefully and by following the instructions in the correct order. Additionally, make sure to wash your hands and sanitize your fingers before sticking this kit to draw your blood.
3. Use Strip For Urine Test
If you want to check your potassium levels through a urine test, then you can also do it at your home. For that, you can buy urine strips online or from your local pharmacy to conduct this test. Additionally, you have to notice the color of your urine and match it with the chart that is provided with these urine strips. Thus, you can figure out whether you have higher or lower levels of potassium with the help of these urine strips.
4. Ask The Local Laboratory To Collect Your Blood Or Urine Sample
When you want to check your potassium levels at home and don’t want to go through much hassle, then you can always contact your local laboratory to collect your samples. Also, if you give your samples to a professional healthcare expert, then they can analyse them with accuracy. Moreover, they can send you the results of your blood or urine test online, and you won’t have to visit laboratories physically.
5. You Can Use Portable Devices
If you want more advanced options, then there are portable potassium testing devices. These devices can provide you with accurate results within minutes by analyzing your small blood sample. Moreover, these devices are not only easy to use, but some models offer the convenience of connecting to your smartphone.
What Is The Purpose Of Checking Your Potassium Levels?
When you know your potassium levels in the body, you can take the necessary steps to keep them in balance. Also, you should know that potassium, which comes from the food you eat or supplements you take, is important for your muscles and heart function. Normally, your body keeps the right amount of potassium because your kidney removes any extra potassium through urine.
If you observe symptoms associated with high or low potassium levels, your doctor may recommend a potassium test. Elevated potassium levels may result in an irregular heartbeat, muscle fatigue, and queasiness. In addition, decreased potassium levels can bring about variations in heart rhythm as well as weakness, cramps of the muscles, feelings of nausea, and difficulty passing stool. Thus, when you test your potassium levels, it may help you diagnose heart issues, kidney problems, or body acid-base balance issues.
It is crucial to keep a tab on your potassium levels, particularly when taking medications that have an impact on either electrolyte balance or kidneys. In case you are consuming diuretics or intravenous drugs while in the hospital, it’s likely for your doctor to repeat this test periodically. Furthermore, monitoring abnormal potassium ranges occurs during standard medical checkups regularly, especially if you possess diabetes, high blood pressure issues, or a family history with kidney complications involved.
Final Words
Potassium is important for your overall health, just like other proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Also, you need to keep a balanced potassium level in your body because neither too high nor too low levels are good for your health. Above, we have explained what happens when you have increased or decreased potassium levels.
Also, we have explained the standard ways of checking your potassium levels. Moreover, we have suggested some methods to check your potassium levels at home. Therefore, you have all the options to know about your potassium levels. So, check your potassium levels regularly and take proper steps to keep them balanced.
