Diabetes: Blood Sugar

Summary

Part of managing your diabetes at home is making good choices. Measuring your blood sugar regularly can help by showing you how certain foods, exercise, and stress can affect your blood sugar. Talk to your healthcare provider about how often and when to check your blood sugar. In addition to these regular times, you should also check your blood sugar when feeling ill, especially with symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Testing your blood sugar level requires a device to prick your finger, called a lancet, a blood glucose meter, or glucometer, and test strips. Here are the steps for testing your blood glucose: 1. First, wash the area you're going to prick with warm water. Let it air dry. 2. Prick the side of the finger with the lancet. 3. Place a drop of blood on the strip. Make sure blood completely covers the required area on the strip. 4. Measure the sugar level from the strip with the blood glucose meter. When you have a checkup, always bring your blood sugar records. This enables you and your healthcare providers to work most effectively as a team for good diabetes management.