papillon11
Newbie
- Messages
- 4
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
newly diagnozed, when is the best time of day to test blood glucose levels?
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testing blood, best time for this
- Thread starter papillon11
- Start Date
Nuthead
Well-Known Member
Welcome. @daisy1 will be along with some interesting information. Generally test as @dawn says. You can reduce testing after food when you know how a curtain food affects you. Plenty of information on the main website and here in the forums. Please ask any questions. I now generally test on waking and before meals and just before bed. I only test after a meal when trying a new food or when eating out. I also test if I feel a hypo starting and after treating it.
daisy1
Legend
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- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
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- Cruelty towards animals.
@papillon11
Hello and welcome to the forum
I think you have already had some useful answers to your question. In addition, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 140,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Hello and welcome to the forum
I think you have already had some useful answers to your question. In addition, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.
BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS
Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.
A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 140,000 people who are demonstrating this.
On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.
The role of carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.
If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.
The bad news
Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.
The good news
People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.
Controlling your carbs
The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
- Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates
A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.
The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.
Choosing better carbohydrates
Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html
The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.
Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes
Eating what works for you
Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.
To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.
The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:
Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
- structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
- self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education
Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.
You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic
Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
papillon11
Newbie
- Messages
- 4
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
thank you very much, for the info, I will be a regular visitor to this forum,lynne
nigelho
Well-Known Member
DAFNE recommends that we test 4 hours after a meal not 2 hours. The standard 2 hours testing is meant to produce a reading of approx 2mmols higher than the reading before the meal. However, we all absorb insulin at diffenent rates and many of us, me included, have a much higher reading than the 2mmols, however after 4 hours when the insulin has done it's work my BSs are fine....assuming I've calculated my carbs correctly. You can test after 2 hours if you wish BUT DON'T do any corrections after 2 hours even if you're high...stacking can occur then hypo. My previous DSN never picked this in me and never knew WHY I WAS hypoing later in the day; she never told me NOT to correct and I only found out when I did DAFNE.
PatsyB
Well-Known Member
Welcome Daisy I test on rising.... before a meal and some times before I exercise as walking tends to make the levels drop so do not want to start walking when level is low../... if low then I eat something before exercising 
I test on rising.... before a meal and some times before I exercise as walking tends to make the levels drop so do not want to start walking when level is low../... if low then I eat something before exercising papillon11
Newbie
- Messages
- 4
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
thank you so much for the info,very helpful! lynne
catinahat
Well-Known Member
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- 3,446
- Location
- Halesowen
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
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- Diet only
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- Reality tv
Hello @papillon11 , welcome
The DAFNE course that nigelho refers to is for managing T1 diabetes, from your profile I see that you are T2 taking metformin.
For someone with T2 the main reason for testing is to discover the foods you can tolerate and the foods that need to be reduced or avoided because it raises your sugar levels.
you test before you eat, and 2hrs after. If the rise is more than 2mmol then you need to rethink that meal.
Testing 4 hours after a meal would not give you any useful information.
This article explains how to use your meter to lower your blood sugar levels
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
nigelho
Well-Known Member
Quite true catinahat, the DAFNE 4 hour recommendation is for type 1 diabetics. It's different for type 2's just using the standard tablets but in the long run everyone's body will aborb insulin or tablets at different rates so Lynne it's use what ever is best for YOU. I'm type 1 and use metformin SR 500mg tablets along side Apidra and Humulin I .. I take 2 tablets at each meal plus the Apidra and I'm not experienced with other type 2 tablets.
