How Many Times to Test per Day

[neilshots]

Hi

Just a question around how many times to test BS per day. I currently go for before breakfast, lunch and evening meal, results are fine so not too worried. But I am wondering if I should do an extra test just before bed, not that I want to do more of course, but maybe a good idea after reading about night time hypos.

Any thoughts?

 

[cugila]

The problem with only testing before any meals is that it does not show what is happening post meal, say 2 hrs or, depending on the food you ate 3 or even 4 hrs later. Are those numbers low/high ??

I have friend who is a T1 who was advised to only test pre meal and he gradually ended up getting more and more complications......due to high BG levels. Now his GP/Nurse didn't seem to understand what was happening until he started to test after meals......then the picture became clearer.

His HbA1c was good, low 6's, but as that is only an average over 3 months it had been missing out the continual lows and highs during the day, more high than low.

It also depends on where you are with your control and what you want to achieve. Are all your Bg levels on target which for a T1 should be no more than 9 mmol/l 2 hrs after meals.

If you are only testing pre meals you will never know.........

 

[noblehead]

Depends on the individual Neil, I test pre/post meals, before bed, before and during driving and whenever I need some reassurance, but on average I test 8 times a day.

Nigel

 

[sorefinger]

7 plus one or two times during the night... and if you feel unwell or hypo

 

[moonstone]

On waking, before every insulin shot, if you feel funny, and before bed. It's vital to test before bed actually as your body will very often send you low during the night - it's called the dawn phenomenon - and you need to make sure you're at a reasonable level before you go to sleep (factoring in the time of your last injection of course, too).

 

[neilshots]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go for a one more test before bed, the more I think about it the more sensible it seems.

 

[Debloubed]

test as often as you feel is necessary. obvious choices are before breakfast, lunch, dinner and bed but also, before driving, 2-3 hours after meals so you can check which foods cause you to spike (not necessarily the same foods which cause me to spike, although there will be some similarities) and more often if you are feeling under the weather. I average around 8 times each day but then I am on a pump and need to know my BG before I can bolus. I also absolutely refuse to get behind the wheel without knowing my BG! Obsessed? Moi? Perhaps :mrgreen: :lol:

 

[jopar]

Yes testing before bedtime is a very good habit to get into..

I am suprised that you are only testing pre-meal though, I would sugges testing 2 hours after, so that you get a clear picture what is happening throughout the day, followed with testing when you feel it necessary, you suspect an hypo, feel out of sorts or you've changed your normal routine in some way.. before and after exercise..

The better data you keep, the easier it is to work out why something went wrong or pick up a pending problem a lot quicker..

 

[neilshots]

Actually when I say pre-meal my lunch test is normally about 11.30 and my evening meal test about 4.00, i use that one to combine my drive home from work.

I do do a few tests when I have eaten something unusual or a treat. Have to admit I do like testing at set times even though as you rightly say i might not pick up on some of the spikes or blips. I'm still learning and all the responses are helpful so t hanks.

Neil

 

[donnellysdogs]

Also depends whether you drive or not.....

 

[Mini-Mimi]

sorry to butt in but what about a child, how often should they be tested? i was testing on waking, 2 hrs after breaky, before dinner, 2 hrs after dinner, 2pm, before tea, 2 hrs after tea, before bed and sometimes in the night and thought that it was too many so have been cutting down to 4-5 a day but on reading this thread now i'm not too sure? :?

 

[noblehead]

sorry to butt in but what about a child, how often should they be tested? i was testing on waking, 2 hrs after breaky, before dinner, 2 hrs after dinner, 2pm, before tea, 2 hrs after tea, before bed and sometimes in the night and thought that it was too many so have been cutting down to 4-5 a day but on reading this thread now i'm not too sure? :?

I would stick with what you were doing before MM, the reassurance of regular testing will at least give you peace of mind that all is well.

Nigel

 

[cugila]

A agree with Nigel MM, regular testing has to be the best way providing it is not distressing for the child.......once good control is achieved, only then would I consider reducing the amount of times that you test.

 

[Sookie]

When I went to speak to my Doctor recently he mentioned that I really only need to text once a week, I was a bit concerned with him saying that to me especially with me not being under control. I fought hard for my strips and he allowed me enough strips for me to test 3 times a day. Unfortunately that only allows me to test before meals so I can work out how much insulin to take. My husband recently told me about the "Dawn Phenomenon" which could be the reason why I am really high in the morning (13+) and by lunchtime I have calmed down to below 7. My evening readings are lower in comparison, I sometimes go to bed with readings like 4 or 5. I might use an extra strip before bed after reading this post. Thanks!

 

[noblehead]

When I went to speak to my Doctor recently he mentioned that I really only need to text once a week, I was a bit concerned with him saying that to me especially with me not being under control. I fought hard for my strips and he allowed me enough strips for me to test 3 times a day. Unfortunately that only allows me to test before meals so I can work out how much insulin to take. My husband recently told me about the "Dawn Phenomenon" which could be the reason why I am really high in the morning (13+) and by lunchtime I have calmed down to below 7. My evening readings are lower in comparison, I sometimes go to bed with readings like 4 or 5. I might use an extra strip before bed after reading this post. Thanks!

I can't believe your gp said that you only need to test once a week Sookie! :shock:

As a type 1 you need to be testing at least 3-4 times a day before meals to help you decide what insulin dose to give, for example if your bg was elevated you would need to include a correction dose otherwise your bg will remain high after eating.

Going to bed on 4 is not advisable when using insulin, I would say your 13+ morning readings could be down to night-time hypo's in your sleep, I prefer to be between 5 and 6.5mmol before bed as a safety barrier. Try setting your meter alarm and do some 2-3am tests to determine what your bg is doing in the early hours.

Nigel

 

[Debloubed]

that Doc is clearly barking mad! I guess it would be ok to test once a week if you didn't drive and didn't eat. Any GP worth his MD will tell a type 1 to test daily. Some may moan and grumble if you test more than 2 or 3 times a day, but they'll get over that if you press them hard enough! :twisted:

 

[shedges]

Agree with Deb on this one.

Are you sure you weren't talking the ice cream man? Once a day indeed!

 

[Jen&Khaleb]

Average of 7. Less testing when things are stable, more when sick and during growth spurts and any time the dose of insulin is being adjusted. I'd do a repeat test 15 minutes after treating a hypo also.

I suppose I could miss the odd test but I can keep better control by doing them.

 

[Debloubed]

I think it's easier to test less if you have quite a repetative lifestyle, get up at the same time, eat the same foods, exercise at the same time of day, etc, etc and a lot of people do have a certain level of consistency each day. I used to use my previous BG reading from say, 4pm, to calculate my 7pm dinner insulin dosage but I now think it's just not reliable enough to do that! So much can have happened in those 3 hours so unless I have stuck to the same rigid routine, I test again to be sure.

 

[Sookie]

Hi Nigel! Thanks for the tip!