Blood glucose monitoring is helpful for many people with diabetes. By checking your blood sugar at home, you can see how your meal plan, activity, level of stress and diabetes medications affect your blood sugar. You can use this information to make decisions and adjustments each day as you care for your diabetes. All blood glucose monitors require a small blood sample, usually from your fingertip, that is applied to a special test strip. Some strips can be read visually, but most people use a blood glucose meter.
Meters are small, easy to use and often inexpensive.
There are many types of blood glucose meters available. You may want to ask your nurse, doctor or pharmacist to help you select the meter that will work best for you. People who take pills to treat their diabetes or who do not adjust their medications, may only test a few times per week, or at certain times of the day, for example before breakfast. If you are interested in learning about monitoring or how to use the information, talk with your doctor or nurse. Let them know why you are interested in testing your blood sugar and how often you are able to test.