While any diabetic who is under home-based blood glucose monitoring is required to test regularly, the number of tests needed varies from one individual to another. Thus, it is important to discuss a testing plan with a doctor first before starting to test blood sugar with a meter.
There are many that factors that influence the how often you test blood glucose, but the major factors include the type of diabetes you have, the kind of medication you take and how often you take it , the manner in which your blood sugar changes during the day due to physical activity, stress, diet and illness, and more importantly what you intend to do with the results of the tests.
Because food has a direct and immediate impact on blood sugar in the body, testing with a diabetes meter is often done around mealtime to determine whether what you ate did not eat affected your blood glucose levels. For example, testing with a diabetes meter after fasting overnight can tell you whether the insulin in your body is controlling your blood glucose effectively.
Testing before a meal, on the other hand, can help you make decisions on your food choices and insulin dosage prior to your next meal, while testing after a meal (which is also known as post-prandial testing) can help determine the effect your meal over your blood glucose level and whether your body had enough insulin to cover the food you just ate. Testing is also commonly done after jogging or strenuous exercise, as blood glucose is known to decrease significantly after strenuous physical exercise.
Testing around exercise is a great way to manage blood glucose levels and come up activities or exercise plans that are best suited to you, but it also must comply with strict requirements. For example, testing with a blood glucose meter must be done while exercising up to one to two hours after meals to ensure peak energy level, and blood glucose must also be 70mg/dL or more in order to exercise. People with Type 1 diabetes with a fasting glucose of above 250 mg/dL and ketones in their urine must also consult with their doctor first in order to formulate the best plan of action in terms of exercise and testing.
Aside from determining exercise plans, testing around exercise is also important in order to prevent any health problems that may arise. Because physical activity can lower blood glucose, testing during exercise is necessary to prevent the onset of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and take appropriate measures in case your blood glucose dips too low. In addition, there may be instances where exercise may actually increase blood glucose than lower it, so if your blood sugar level is at 300mg/dL or higher you must stop exercising and get medical attention immediately.
Doctors also recommend testing with a diabetes monitoring kit around medication to determine whether the insulin your body creates or have injected is controlling your blood sugar as expected. This in turn will help your doctor determine whether your current medication is effective in managing your diabetes or not. Logging your blood glucose results after every test is important here, as if the results are below expectations your doctor may recommend adjusting your medication schedule or changing your diabetes medicines altogether.
Finally, make sure to test yourself with a diabetes meter even if you feel fine. It is quite possible to have a higher or normal than lower blood glucose levels even if you don’t feel its symptoms. And if left uncontrolled for long periods, this might result to serious complications such as kidney failure, stomach nerve damage and blurred vision. This is why it is recommended that you have a small blood meter such as the One Touch Glucose meter along with you always so you can check your blood sugar anywhere you go.
Testing your blood glucose is important, but so is finding the right diabetes meter to test with. You can find information and other resources on popular glucose meters such as the ACCU-CHECK Aviva and the ACCU-CHEK Advantage, as well as links to free blood glucose meter offers and other diabetic supplies online. With the correct glucose meter, you will be able to test for blood sugar accurately, easily, and with less pain.