Testing Your Blood Sugar (PDF)

Keeping your blood sugar at or near normal What are blood sugar goals? levels helps prevent diabetes complications, such as problems with your eyes, kidneys, or Goal for A1C A1C < 7 A1C < 8 feet. Goal for pre-meal 80–130 100–140 blood sugars mg/dL mg/dL Checking your blood sugar: Goal for 2 hours Less than Less than • Giv es you more flexibility in deciding what after a meal 180 mg/dL 200 mg/dL to eat and how much exercise you need. Goal for bedtime 100–160 100–200 • L ets you know what’s working if you’ve blood sugars mg/dL mg/dL made lifestyle changes. • H elps you know when it’s time to call How do I check my blood sugar? your doctor. 1. Review the instructions that came with your meter. • Giv es your diabetes care team important information to make changes to your 2. Gather all the supplies you need before treatment. you test, including meter, test strips, and logbook. • Helps y ou know when to adjust the amount of insulin you need to control your diabetes, 3. Wash your hands with warm water and if you use insulin. soap before testing. Talk with your doctor or diabetes care team 4. P rick the side (not the pad) of your to learn how to adjust your insulin dose. fingertip with a lancing device or “penlet.” Testing tells you how your blood sugar level is 5. A pply blood to the test strip according to affected by your medications, physical activity, your meter directions. stress, illness, and what, how much, and when 6. Recor d your numbers. you eat. Your blood sugar goals may be different from the ideal A1C goals shown in the table at the top. Ask your doctor or care team what blood sugar goals are best for you.

HEALTH EDUCATION It’s important to know what to do when your • S hake your hand up and down or run warm blood sugar is either higher or lower than the water over your hand before you prick your numbers in the table. You can take one of our finger to improve blood flow. diabetes classes to learn more. • Ask y our doctor or care team about other lancet (pricking) options. When should I test? • Don’t share your lancing device with others. Not everyone needs to test their blood sugar the same number of times each day. Ask your • Don’t reuse lancets. doctor or care team what amount of testing is best for you and at what times of the day you More tips for testing your own should test. blood sugar Here are some general guidelines about how • Call the number on the back of the LifeScan often to test. meter, if you have problems using it. Test more frequently when you: • Keep test str ips in their airtight bottle. This • Get sick or have an infection. gives you the most accurate results. • Chang e diabetes medications or increase the • Do n’t use strips after the expiration date dose of your medications as prescribed by shown on the bottle. your doctor. • Ar e trying to get pregnant, or you’re already Additional resources pregnant. The LifeScan meter booklet and blood sugar logbook are available from your doctor, Health • Don’t have good control of your diabetes. Education Department, or pharmacy. Visit kp.org/mydoctor/diabetes to learn more. How do I stay safe and comfortable when testing? Some people feel pain or have a hard time getting enough blood when pricking their fingers. To help with this, follow these tips: • P rick a different spot or finger each time to reduce redness and soreness in your fingertips.

This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.