Benefits of Monitoring Blood Sugar

Knowing if your blood sugar is high, low, or just right will guide decisions about what and how much you should eat, whether you need medication, and how active you can be. For example, if a reading shows that your blood sugar is too low, you'll know it's time to munch on a carbohydrate-rich food (or pop a glucose pill, which you can store with your meter) to give your levels a boost.

A high blood sugar reading signals that you need to bring glucose levels back down to normal. How you do that will depend on your personal diabetes treatment plan. Some medications, such as sulfonylureas, decrease glucose levels by increasing insulin production. Other medications, such as TZDs and metformin, decrease glucose levels by decreasing insulin resistance or decreasing liver glucose production.

What's more, keeping close tabs on your blood sugar levels can provide your physician with critical information that he or she can use to make decisions about what treatments will work best for you. Finally, knowing that you are maintaining healthy, safe blood sugar levels provides some reassurance that you will avoid the complications diabetes can cause.

To Monitor or Not to Monitor

Should you monitor your glucose? If you're reading this article, then the answer is probably yes. Most experts agree that glucose monitoring is most important -- make that essential, mandatory, no ifs, ands, or buts -- for people with type 1 diabetes and anyone with diabetes who takes insulin or drugs to increase insulin levels.

To be more specific, the American Diabetes Association recommends glucose monitoring for anyone who

  • takes insulin or diabetes pills

  • is receiving intensive insulin therapy

  • is pregnant

  • is having a hard time controlling blood glucose levels

  • is having severe low blood glucose levels or is producing ketones due to high blood glucose levels

  • is experiencing low blood glucose levels without the usual warning signs

But even if none of these criteria applies to you, wouldn't you want to know right away if your blood sugar is silently rising? By checking your glucose once a day -- it takes just three minutes -- you could spot a problem before it gets out of control. Record keeping -- another essential part of tracking your glucose levels -- adds about another five minutes, tops.

To be on the safe side, ask your doctor (or diabetes educator, if you're working with one) when and how often you should test your glucose. While there are no established rules for type 2 patients who take oral medications, insulin users are generally advised to test their blood at least four times a day, preferably before each meal and at bedtime. Although the frequency of testing isn't standardized, it's particularly recommended to obtain information for evaluating potential treatment changes.

For instance, you can test before a meal to evaluate your basal glucose; two hours after a meal to evaluate the effect of food; before, during, or after exercise to determine the effect of exercise on glucose; and in the middle of the night if you have concerns about hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Pregnant women who take insulin or have gestational diabetes should test their blood frequently, too. And there are specific circumstances when monitoring blood sugar is a good idea, such as when your doctor prescribes a new drug or changes a dosage.

For more information on blood sugar and diabetes, try the following links:

  • Read Blood Sugar for valuable information about blood glucose and its link to diabetes.
  • How to Test Blood Sugar will show you how to test your glucose levels accurately.
  • For more information on the machines that test your blood sugar, read Glucose Meters.
  • To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
  • For a description of treatment options for diabetics, read Diabetes Treatment.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and the author of several books. His work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including Prevention, Health, Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Gardens, Men's Health, Esquire, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS

Dana Armstrong, R.D., C.D.E., received her degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of California, Davis, and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She has developed educational programs that have benefited more than 5,000 patients with diabetes. She specializes in and speaks nationally on approaches to disease treatment, specifically diabetes.

Allen Bennett King, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.E., C.D.E. is the author of more than 50 papers in medical science and speaks nationally on new advances in diabetes. He is an associate clinical professor at the University of California Natividad Medical Center and cofounder and medical director of the Diabetes Care Center in Salinas, California.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.