When Should You Test Your Blood Sugar - Diabetes India

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When Should You Test Your Blood Sugar

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rvmasalvadVolunteerStar
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•NOTE; Many in this forum, specially new members have asked this question many times and in spite of some experienced diabetics explaining it,, the question is getting repeated frequently. This shows the importance a newly diagnosed diabetic attachés to ascertain the information authenticated by a medical epert..

•It is worthwhile to read the following article an advisedly preserve it in your computer for reference any time you need to refresh .

•The author Mr Dennis Thompson, Jr. is a career journalist with more than 20 years' experience, writing for newspapers in Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Delaware, and Oregon. He also has served as a freelance reporter for HealthDay for nearly a decade. Dennis holds a bachelor's of arts degree in communication studies from Virginia Tech and a master's of arts degree in mass communication from the University of Florida.

•The contets of the article have been reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Marcellin, MD, MPH is an internal medicine specialist with extensive clinical experience in multiple practice settings. Dr. Marcellin is a past medical director of both fee-for-service and community free clinics. She is a director and medical team leader for Solar Light for Africa, Ltd., a non-profit group providing solar energy systems to health care facilities in Africa, and has led three medical assistance teams to Uganda. She graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and completed post-graduate training at Georgetown University. She has a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a concentration in infectious diseases and international health. Writes and reviews a wide range of medical and public health issues.

THE ARTICLE in detail:

Blood sugar testing is important for controlling type 2 diabetes. Find out what goes into determining the best testing schedule for you.

Blood sugar testing is a fundamental part of treating type 2 diabetes. By obtaining regular blood sugar readings, people with diabetes can, among other things, help their doctor make more informed decisions regarding the type and dosage of medication they need. Blood sugar testing also can help you see what foods, events, and activities trigger highs and lows in your blood sugar levels.

So how often should you test your blood sugar? The answer depends mostly on the status of your health and the demands of your daily life.

People with type 2 diabetes should take a blood sugar reading at least once a day. Some may need to test as frequently as seven times a day. Whether you need to or are able to perform more frequent testing depends on a number of factors:

•Are you newly diagnosed? If so, you will need to take blood sugar tests more often to give your doctors the data they need to shape an appropriate treatment plan.

•Are you taking insulin? Doctors recommend that people who need insulin to treat their type 2 diabetes perform three or more blood sugar tests throughout the day, especially if they take multiple daily doses or are using an insulin pump.

•Are you leading an active lifestyle? People participating in sports or working out regularly need to test their blood glucose more often.

•Are there safety concerns? Patients who drive or operate heavy machinery should test their blood sugar beforehand, to protect both themselves and those around them.

•Are there factors in your life that limit your ability to test often? For example, people who type at their jobs may need to limit their testing if their fingertips become too painful to work a keyboard. Others may not be able to afford the cost of the test strips needed for frequent testing or can't fit frequent tests into their busy lives.

You should talk with your doctor about these factors to devise the right blood glucose monitoring schedule for you.

Creating a Blood Sugar Testing Schedule

In general, type 2 diabetes patients should schedule blood sugar testing to coincide with specific daily events. That makes it easier to remember when to test. Regular testing times include:

•Before all three meals

•Following a workout

•At bedtime

Testing prior to meals is important because fasting blood glucose levels give you a better picture of the treatment you need. If you choose to test after a meal, you should wait one to two hours to make sure you get an accurate blood sugar reading. In fact, testing about two hours after eating will give you a good idea of how your blood sugar responds to food and will help you better understand the complex relationship.

Changing Your Testing Schedule

Many situations might cause you to alter your schedule temporarily or permanently:

•Your overall health. If you are feeling sick or experiencing a lot of stress (even the physical stress of a medical procedure) you should increase the frequency of your blood sugar testing until you're feeling better.

•You start having high or low blood sugar levels more frequently. Your doctor may want you to increase your testing to pinpoint the problem.

•You become pregnant. Talk to your obstetrician and diabetes specialist about changing needs.

•You're going to be more active than you normally are. You should check your blood sugar level before heading off on a hike or hitting the ski slopes.

•You've successfully treated your diabetes for an extended period. Your doctor may let you cut back on testing if you appear to have your diabetes well in hand.

As with most things in life, your blood glucose monitoring schedule should not be set in stone, but should be defined by your individual needs and circumstances and always under your doctor’s supervision.

•Source for the article

everydayhealth.com/hs/stayi...

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Activity2004 profile image
Activity2004Administrator

This is a very helpful article and posting rvmasalvad . Thank you for sharing this with the group.

rvmasalvad profile image
rvmasalvadVolunteerStar in reply to Activity2004

Thanks for appreciating my post.I feel encouraged.

rvmasalvad profile image
rvmasalvadVolunteerStar

i did not find this .

suramo profile image
suramoStar

rvmasalvad

Ideally bs should be measured around the clock say with Dexcom. This will give exact knowledge of how bs reacts to various factors.

But that's costly so one may measure bs at least 4-5 times during 24 hours.

Fbs

pre-lunch

1 & 2 hr pp

pre-dinner

and if bs remains high despite good pre-dinner values, then one more reading at 2 & 4 am to know about dawn phenomenon effect.

Also 1 hr. after a food, fruit and snack to know effect on bs.

Imho.

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