These targets are for most of blod healthy people with diabetes who take medicines:. These may include:. Replace the lid right away to keep moisture away from the other strips.

Home blood glucose monitoring -

Before buying into what may be the next fad in health monitoring, I think we need to learn a lot more. There is wisdom in the teachings of one of my favorite professors in medical school: "Just because you can measure something doesn't mean you should.

Robert H. Shmerling, MD , Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing.

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If you don't have diabetes, should you monitor your blood sugar? Where's the health benefit in this? Blood sugar monitoring for people with diabetes offers undeniable health benefits For people with diabetes, a major goal of therapy is to keep the blood sugar close to the normal range.

If knowledge is power, why not monitor your blood sugar? Possible reasons include Detecting prediabetes. In prediabetes blood sugar is slightly high, but not high enough to meet the definition of diabetes. For healthy people, blood sugar testing is typically recommended every three years or so; if prediabetes is diagnosed, repeat testing is recommended more often, at least yearly.

CGM might allow earlier diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes. Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your blood. Glucose is a sugar that you get from food and drink. Your blood sugar levels go up and down throughout the day and for people living with diabetes these changes are larger and happen more often than in people who don't have diabetes.

You can do blood sugar level check by doing a finger-prick test , or by using an electronic blood sugar monitor called a flash glucose monitor or CGM.

You can do this several times a day — helping you keep an eye on your levels as you go about your life and help you work out what to eat and how much medication to take. Find out your ideal target range. Not everyone with diabetes needs to check their levels like this. Everyone with diabetes is entitled to this check.

High blood sugar levels increase your risk of developing serious complications. However you manage your diabetes, stay in the know about your blood sugar levels.

If you take certain medication, like insulin or sulphonylureas, checking your blood sugars is a vital part of living with diabetes. It can help you work out when you need to take more medication, when you need to eat something or for when you want to get up and move around more.

Routine checks can help you know when you might be starting to go too low called a hypo or too high called a hyper. It can help you and your healthcare team spot patterns too.

Do you write your results down? You might find that helpful. But importantly, it will help you stay healthy and prevent serious diabetes complications now and in the future.

By complications, we mean serious problems in places like your feet and your eyes. This happens because too much sugar in the blood damages your blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow around your body.

This can lead to very serious problems like sight loss and needing an amputation. Knowing all the facts and speaking to other people can help — contact our helpline or chat to others with diabetes on our online forum.

Watch our video and follow our simple steps on how to test your blood sugars in the right way and safely. New meters come on the market all the time, so it can be tricky choosing the right one.

If you have sight problems, you may not be able to use some meters so your healthcare team can suggest alternatives. Monitoring Your Blood Sugar. Español Spanish Print. Minus Related Pages. Make Friends With Your Numbers. Getting an A1C Test Make sure to get an A1C test at least twice a year.

Your A1C result will be reported in two ways: A1C as a percentage. Estimated average glucose eAG , in the same kind of numbers as your day-to-day blood sugar readings. Questions To Ask Your Doctor When visiting your doctor, you might keep these questions in mind to ask during your appointment.

What is my target blood sugar range? How often should I check my blood sugar? What do these numbers mean? Are there patterns that show I need to change my diabetes treatment? What changes need to be made to my diabetes care plan?

Top of Page. Getting Tested What is Low Blood Sugar hypoglycemia? What is High Blood Sugar hyperglycemia? Education and Support. Last Reviewed: December 30, Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We include products Hormone-Free Meats think are useful for our Fair trade food products. If Gluvose buy through links glucoss this page, we may earn a small commission. Monitlring only shows you brands Home blood glucose monitoring products that we stand behind. Jonitoring glucose meters can help you keep tabs on your diabetes. Home glucose meters can help lower your risk of complications from diabetes. Along with treatment, using a home monitor can help you identify the things that make your blood sugar increase or decrease, from exercise to illness, stress to dehydration, and more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends checking your blood sugar as advised by your doctor. Medical monitorinng such as monitorinb glucose monitors and blooe pumps are becoming Home blood glucose monitoring essential to the Monitofing management of diabetes bolod many Canadians. Monitoring your blood sugar glucose levels can help you manage your diabetes better and can prevent life-threatening emergencies and complications. Blood sugar is the amount of sugar in your blood at a given time. It's important to check your blood sugar level, because it will:. A blood glucose meter is used to check your blood sugar at home. You can get these meters at most pharmacies or from your diabetes educator.