If you are a diabetic, your active participation in diabetes management is indeed required. Diabetes management plans begin with so many how’s and when’s. In particular, we are here for you to clear out your “how and when to test your blood sugar levels?” Continue reading to a good deal of information out of this blog.

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How to Test Your Blood sugar?

Certainly, there are written instructions that come with the blood sugar meter. You can follow them or, in particular, below mentioned are the general ones.

1. Make your kit test ready, things to ensure

• Meter
• Test strip
• Lancing device (finger pricker)
• Cotton (additional)
• Note diary that monitors records.

2. Make sure a new lancet readily loaded in the finger pricking device.

3. Cleanse and dry your hand properly before the test to avoid any influence in the test result.

4. A warm hand will get you a fuller drop of blood, warm your hands and fingers before the test and make sure not to overdo.

5. Place the test strip in the meter.

6. For pricking fingers consider fingertips rather than pads. Where the WHO recommends middle or ring finger usage for blood glucose tests.

Note: In this procedure to Test Your Blood Sugar, you may need to squeeze your finger a little tor blood to appear. If you need to squeeze it hard then better try pricking your finger again.

7. Ensure that the meter is ready and then put the blood drop onto the strip and then hang on for few seconds. The meter can take 10 seconds or even sooner.

8. If the test is unsuccessful then head back to the 5th point.

9. If successful then record the result in the note diary. Dispose of the strip used and lancet to be put in a sharps bin.

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When to Test Your Blood Sugar?

The next thing is when should you test, well, the test at a different time of the day will show different results. About how your diabetes care plan working. Here are the times you have to consider when testing:

1. Morning

On an empty stomach without eating and drinking. This will demonstrate whether the body has enough insulin to control sugar levels at night while you’re asleep.

2. In meal breaks

Testing the blood sugar before each meal will display that you have to make decisions related to medicines and food to eat.

3. Preceding meals and succeeding bedtime

This will exhibit whether you are making the right food choices, or the medicines are enough to cover your food.

4. Prior to any activity such as driving or something

This is necessary to know the range of your blood sugar. E.g. when you test Your Blood Sugar and if it is low then you need to take some carb before the particular activity.

5. Before and after exercise

This is to make your blood sugar levels to stay normal during, after and before the workout.

6. When feeling odd

If you feel like any fluctuation in the blood sugar level then you need to takes out the guesswork. You can make a better decision after you test your blood sugar level.

All this information is just for you to make things easier for you, and for your diabetes care team. Additionally, test results can help you make better decisions to smoothen life even with diabetes.

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