Diabetes: Checking your blood sugar
How to test your blood sugar
Monitoring your blood sugar level at home takes the guesswork out of your daily diabetes care. You will know what your blood sugar level is at the time of testing. Here is a simple way to get started.
Get organized
Before you start testing your blood sugar:
- Talk with your doctor about how often and when you should test your blood sugar. Record this information on the blood sugar testing times form
(What is a PDF document?).
- Link testing your blood sugar with other daily activities, such as preparing breakfast. This will help you establish the habit of self-testing.
- Use the list of supplies to gather the things you need to test your blood sugar. Keep your supplies together so that you can do a test quickly if necessary.
- Check your equipment before doing each test.
- Check the expiration date on your testing strips. If you use expired test strips, you may not get accurate results.
- Make sure the code numbers on the testing strips bottle match the numbers on your meter. If the numbers do not match, follow the directions that come with your meter for changing the code numbers.
- The first time you use a meter, and every time you switch meters, check the accuracy of your meter's results. Use the sugar control solution that is made by your meter's manufacturer. Follow the directions that came with your meter for using the control solution properly.
- At regular intervals, properly care for your equipment. Put a copy of the care of blood sugar supplies with your bag or kit as a reminder.
Do the test
Some people with diabetes test their blood sugar rarely or not at all. Other people—such as pregnant women—test it several times a day. The more often you test your blood sugar, the more you will know about how well your treatment is keeping your blood sugar levels within a target range.
Follow these steps when testing your blood sugar:
- Wash your hands with warm, soapy water, and dry them well with a clean towel.
- Put a clean needle (lancet) in the lancet device. The lancet device is a pen-sized holder for the lancet. It holds and positions the lancet and controls how deeply the lancet goes into your skin.
- Get a test strip from your bottle of testing strips. Put the lid back on the bottle immediately to prevent moisture from affecting the other strips.
- Get your blood sugar meter ready. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific meter.
- Use the lancet device to stick the side of your fingertip with the lancet. Some devices and blood sugar meters allow blood testing on other parts of the body, such as the forearm. Be sure you know where your device can be used.
- Put a drop of blood on the correct spot of the test strip, covering the test area well.
- Using a clean cotton ball, stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the place you stuck.
- Wait for the results. Most meters take only a few seconds to give you the results.
Record the results
Recording your blood sugar results is very important. Your doctor will use your record to see how often your blood sugar levels are in your target range. This information lets your doctor know if your medicine (insulin or pills) needs adjusting. Be sure to take your record with you on each visit to your doctor or diabetes educator.
To record your results, you can:
- Get printed blood sugar logs from companies that make diabetic medicines and supplies. Or use this home blood sugar diary
- Make a blood sugar log in a notebook. You can record other information in the log or notebook, such as insulin doses, your exercise, and food you have eaten.
- Use your blood sugar meter, if it is capable. Some blood sugar meters can store from 10 to more than 100 blood sugar results. Some meters are able to calculate your average blood sugar for a period of time, such as over a day or a week. Also, some manufacturers of blood sugar meters make computer programs that use the results from your meter to show patterns in how your blood sugar level changes.
Preventing sore fingers
The more often you test your blood sugar, the more likely you are to have sore fingertips. These suggestions can help prevent sore fingers:
- Do not prick the tip of your finger. If you do, the prick is more painful and you may not get enough blood to get accurate results. Always prick the side of your fingertip. Also, do not prick your toes to get a blood sample. This can increase your risk of developing a dangerous infection in your foot.
- Don't squeeze your fingertip. If you have trouble getting a drop of blood large enough to cover the test area of the strip, hang your hand down below your waist and count to 5. Then, squeeze your finger beginning closest to your hand and moving outward to the end of your finger.
- Use a different finger each time. Establish a pattern for which finger you stick so that you will not use some fingers more than others. If a finger becomes sore, avoid using it to test your blood sugar for a few days.
- Use a different device. Some blood sugar meters use lancet devices that can get a blood sample from sites other than the fingers, such as the forearm.
- Do not reuse the lancet. It can get dull and cause pain.
Test Your Knowledge
To test your blood sugar, put a drop of blood on the special test strip used with your home blood sugar meter.
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: September 24, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism | |
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