When you have diabetes, maintaining your blood glucose levels are critical to preventing complications and long-term damage from the disease. Every individual reacts to conditions differently, so it’s critical to work with your doctor on a personalized care and treatment plan. However, establishing and maintaining the optimum plan for you requires frequent daily tests and some longer term analysis. And since changes can occur over time – both gradually and unexpectedly – ongoing testing and analysis is critical.
Daily Blood Glucose Testing Recommended for Most Diabetics
Depending on the severity of your diabetes, health care professionals recommend testing your blood sugar at several intervals throughout the day. Most people with diabetes should test about four times a day. If you have just been diagnosed, have recently adjusted medications or are pregnant, you may need to check more frequently. Commonly referred to as Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG) testing, typical measurements you will want to take include:
Fasting Blood Glucose– This measurement is taken first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. According to the American Diabetes Association, the target range for this measurement is from 70-100 mg/dl. In addition to establishing a baseline for the day, this measurement helps you make sure your treatment or medication is working overnight. If your blood sugar is too low or too high overnight, your doctor may want to adjust your medication.
Pre-prandial Blood Glucose- This test is taken up to 2 hours before a meal, and helps you determine meal choices and potential medication requirements for after the meal. Per the ADA, the target pre-prandial blood glucose level ranges from 70-130 mg/dl.
Post-prandial Blood Glucose– This test is taken approximately 2 hours after a meal and helps you understand how your body reacts to the food you eat and carbohydrates in particular. Glucose levels tend to peak about 1 hour after eating. For people who do not have diabetes, blood sugar levels tend to normalize within about 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, people with Type 2 diabetes are often resistant to this process and may show elevated blood sugar levels for the rest of the day. The target post-prandial blood glucose level ranges from 70-145 mg/dl.
Since trying to maintain normal blood sugar levels is central to maintaining health, this test is an important measurement for daily health. In fact, some medical providers believe this test is a more effective predictor for overall glycemic control.
Lab Tests Also Helpful
In addition to the daily tests you perform, your doctor makes use of several tests to confirm your readings and monitor overall blood glucose performance:
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)– This test is typically performed in a doctor’s office or lab to confirm a diagnosis of diabetes. The ADA recommends this test be performed at two different times to confirm results. The OGTT is extremely valuable in determining how your body naturally manages blood glucose over a range of time.
It starts with the baseline of a fasting glucose measurement after not eating for 8-10 hours. Then you drink a specific amount of glucose. Additional blood glucose measurements are taken at specific intervals to measure how your body is reacting to the intake of sugar over time. Additional intake of the glucose drink may be required depending on your doctor’s orders or the clinician performing the test.
A1C– This blood test measures your average blood glucose level over the past few months. Blood can be drawn in your doctor’s office and sent to the lab for results. The test is important because any single self-monitoring blood glucose test is only a snapshot of that moment in time. Even with diligent record keeping, you may not be seeing the peaks and valleys of your blood sugar levels, and therefore may not truly understand the full picture.
The A1C test works by looking at longer-term indicators present in the blood that give a more complete picture of sugar levels over time. The test measures these indicators within the blood cells themselves. Since most blood cells have a lifespan of about 120 days, the test can provide a long-range view of your blood glucose level.
Keeping Your Own Records is Critical
Because maintaining control of your blood sugar level is so important to preventing or reducing complications from diabetes, it’s vital that you always know how your body is behaving. Diet is not the only factor. Other external factors, such as exercise, stress and illness can also impact blood sugar levels without any visible symptoms.
The absolute best measurement for managing your blood glucose is a composite analysis performed by your doctor using all the available data, including your own personal measurements. Many of today’s blood glucose meters will store results to make monitoring easier. If your model does not keep these records, be sure to track your results in a separate log of some sort. Either way, be sure to review your results regularly and bring all your results to regular doctor visits.
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