Testing Your Blood Sugar

If you want to control your diabetes, you need to test your blood sugar. Otherwise, you're flying blind. You can't know if what you're doing is working. You and your healthcare team can't make good decisions about what to do next. Regular blood sugar testing can help you:

• Understand how food, exercise, illness, and other factors impact your blood sugar levels
• Improve your blood sugar control by applying what you have learned to your diabetes care plan
• Track how well your diabetes care plan is working and make informed treatment decisions with your healthcare team

Keeping blood sugars in range

There are two good ways to find out if your diabetes is in control. You should do both.

1. Test your blood sugar.
   • An important first step in monitoring your blood sugar is practicing optimal lancing. This includes using a new lancet, varying the location of the lancing site, and cleaning the site. A variety of lancing devices are available that can minimize the pain and finger damage that can come from frequent lancing.
   • Work with your doctor or diabetes educator to learn how to use one of the many types of lancing devices and blood glucose meters that are available for personal use.
   • Ask your doctor or diabetes educator what your testing schedule should be. You may be asked to test before and after meals and at bedtime.
   • Keep track of your results in a diary and take it with you for your office visits so your doctor can check for any trends.
2. Have an A1C test.
   
   • This can give a clearer picture of whether your diabetes is in control, since it shows your "average" blood sugar level over a 2–3 month period.
   • Depending on your treatment and level of diabetes control, an A1C test should be done in your doctor's office every 3–6 months.
   • The ADA recommends that your A1C be less than 7% (for patients in general¹). Your healthcare team will set the target that is right for you.

Who should check?

Experts feel that anyone with diabetes can benefit from checking their blood glucose. The American Diabetes Association recommends blood glucose checks if you have diabetes and are:

• taking insulin or diabetes pills
• on intensive insulin therapy
• pregnant
• having a hard time controlling your blood glucose levels
• having severe low blood glucose levels or ketones from high blood glucose levels
• having low blood glucose levels without the usual warning signs

Using a blood glucose meter

Blood glucose meters are small computerized machines that "read" your blood glucose. In all types of meters, your blood glucose level shows up as a number on a screen. Be sure a member of your healthcare team shows you the correct way to use your meter.

There are many meters to choose from. Some meters are made for those with poor eyesight. Others come with memory so you can store your results in the meter itself. Be sure to ask what meter your healthcare team suggests. They may have meters that they use often and know best.

Reference
1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(suppl 1):S12–S54.