Diabetes blood sugar levels

MONITORING BLOOD SUGAR

Meet Eva who struggles getting her diabetes numbers right

When should you monitor your diabetes blood sugar level?

Your healthcare professional may recommend that you monitor when you start treatments that may cause you to have low blood sugar.

How to monitor blood sugar

Blood sugar checks can be done anywhere
You can track your glucose levels at regular intervals with a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System³. Learn about continual glucose monitoring, digital health and diabetes.
Your healthcare professional will tell you when and how often you need to check your blood sugar

The following terms are used to describe glucose measurements taken at different times of day:

Fasting

Checking in the morning before breakfast when your blood sugar is lowest⁴

Pre-meal

Checking right before a meal to see how much your levels change when you eat⁵

Post-meal

Checking two hours after a meal when your blood sugar peaks⁵

Keep in mind that a blood sugar check you perform yourself is not the same as the HbA_1c test performed by your healthcare professional and the results cannot be compared^2,6.

Benefits of recording your diabetes blood sugar levels

Checking your blood sugar gives you a snapshot of your levels at a particular moment. Recording these measurements will show you your progress over time.

Accurately recording your blood sugar and what you eat, when you exercise, and emotional factors like stress, will identify the causes of unusual peaks and dips¹. This will help you to improve your diabetes management and avoid long-term health complications^5,7.

There are many tools available to help you record your measurements, including diaries and smartphone apps. Read this article to learn how technology and digital health can improve diabetes management. And talk to your healthcare professional about the right option for you.

Tips for monitoring your blood sugar

Set a routine:  Testing and recording regularly could help you remember to do it and make it easier to keep a record of your levels. Speak to your healthcare professional about what works for you.
Record immediately:  Don't put it off thinking you will remember the results later – you probably won't!
Be honest:  Record everything your healthcare professional tells you to: snacks, beverages, carbohydrate content and the exercise you do. An accurate picture of your progress will help you avoid health complications^7,8.
Stay vigilant:  Learn to spot trends, such as high blood sugar after high carbohydrate meals or reduced levels after physical activity.
Keep learning:  A blood sugar reading on its own is not a sign of success or failure – it's an opportunity to learn about the factors that impact your blood sugar control and how you can manage them better in the future.

Blood glucose range

The average blood sugar ranges for people with and without type 2 diabetes can be seen below⁴. Learn about target blood sugar ranges to help you improve your diabetes management.

Understanding how you can manage your diabetes

MANAGE YOUR DIABETES WITH EXERCISE

A healthy diet and increased exercise are usually the first things you are encouraged to try in the early stages of type 2 diabetes.