Blood Glucose Testing Times

When first diagnosed with diabetes, many people hear the words blood glucose testing for the first time. This blood glucose guide discusses testing your blood glucose, when you should test your blood sugar, and how often you should to this.

Once you have a blood glucose meter and test strips, and you know the blood glucose testing routine, when should you test? How often do you need to test? How important is testing for good diabetes care?

When should I test my blood glucose?

How often you test will depend partly on your experience, your diabetes type, and your diabetes treatment regime. Some people with diabetes do not test their blood glucose regularly, and some do not need to. However, blood glucose testing is a very useful tool for people with diabetes.

Get into a routine

People with diabetes need to pay particular attention to daily routines that other people without diabetes might take for granted. For instance, heading to the gym, eating a pub lunch, having an alcoholic drink or missing mealtimes might not concern a person without diabetes but they all have an impact on blood sugar levels.

Awareness

Being aware of high and low blood glucose levels, and the seemingly small events that effect blood glucose, is an essential part of good diabetes management.

Keeping your blood glucose under control can reduce the future burden of diabetes complications and the risk of hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia. Blood glucose testing is a way of keeping in touch with your diabetes.

Blood glucose testing can also be useful for healthcare professionals. By checking average results, doctors and nurses can find out whether you are in control and advise you accordingly. They can also track the effects of your treatment and make adjustments to your treatment to seek better blood glucose control.