Health and Business: Blood Glucose Monitoring

Many people are frightened to check their blood sugar levels be‐ cause they do not want to see levels that are higher or lower than their target range.

However, checking your blood sugars at home and in the workplace puts you in control of your diabetes – remember, your blood sugar levels remain the same whether you know about them or not.

Monitoring your blood sugar levels is the most accurate way of you seeing the effectiveness of your lifestyle changes and medications on your diabetes control.

If levels are above or below your target range, monitoring provides you with the ability to identify what is causing the problem and to correct it.

“Use the sides of your fingers and remember to use different fingers”

Tips on Monitoring

Wash your hands in warm water before checking your blood sugar
Ensure your test strips have not expired
Remember to calibrate your meter (if your meter requires this)
Use the sides of your fingers and remember to use different fingers

Note: Do not use alternate site testing if you think your blood sugar is very high or low finger checks give you the most accurate result.

Explore the with your health care team the best times to check your blood sugar level – times could include:

Prior to your meal and / or 2 hours after the meal
Overnight
If you feel unwell

Record your results in a logbook especially if readings are out of range. This will help you to identify patterns in your levels and make the required changes to get your blood sugar back to your target range. Bringing 5‐7 days of blood sugar records to your health care visit will help the team to determine your diabetes management needs.
Never leave your meter or strips in a hot car.

Blood Glucose Monitoring

Not all people with diabetes are the same and therefore blood sugar targets may vary from person to person. In general, blood sugar targets are:

Fasting and Pre‐meals :

80‐110mg/dL

2 hour post meals:

less than 160mg/dL (preferably no more than 50 points from where you started before the meal).

Pre‐bed :

100‐140mg/dL if taking medication that can lower blood sugar levels.

Most blood sugar meters have the ability to give you your average blood sugar values. This is a great feature for helping you to indicate your glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) result.

Your glycated hemoglobin is a blood test that you can have done every 3 months. This blood test tells you and your health care team about your blood sugar control over the previous 3 months.

For most people with diabetes the desired glycated hemoglobin result is between 6‐7% ‐ this re‐ lates to an average blood sugar of between 120 to 150mg/dL.

“There can be times when living with diabetes can make you feel like you are riding the big dipper roller coaster with blood sugars changing from very high to very low. Monitoring helps you to identify possible reasons for blood sugar changes. “

Factors that can Affect Your Blood Sugar Level:

It is completely normal for blood sugar levels to change throughout the day.

However, there can be times when living with diabetes can make you feel like you are riding the big dipper roller coaster with blood sugars changing from very high to very low.

Monitoring helps you to identify possible reasons for blood sugar changes. So if your blood sugar value is out of range, spend one minute to explore possible causes, such as:

Poor testing technique ‐ not washing your hands pre-test or not calibrating your meter if required or expired test strips.
Food – time of last meal, quantity of food, type of food.
Alcohol – can increase or decrease your blood sugar levels depending on the type of alcohol and any mixers it may come with.
Exercise – amount, type or timing of exercise with regard to your meal or medication.
Medications – medications for diabetes control aim to lower your blood sugar. Other medications, such as steroids, can increase your blood sugar. Expired medications may cause a rise in blood sugar.
Illness – ie. Cold or flu can increase your blood sugar levels due to the stress this places on your body.
Stress – both physical and emotional stress can increase your blood sugar levels.