healthy
living
Testing Your Own Blood Sugar
HEALTH EDUCATION
Checking your blood sugar gives
you more flexibility in making
decisions about what to eat and
how much exercise you need. If
you have made changes to your
habits, it also tells you what worked
or didn’t work and lets you know
when it’s time to call your doctor.
Your doctor or other health care
professional can use this important
information to make needed
changes in your treatment.
If you use insulin, testing can
help you learn when to adjust the
amount of insulin you need for
optimal control of your diabetes.
Talk with your doctor or other
Checking your own blood sugar
puts you in charge of your
diabetes by giving you important
information that you can track
over time.
health care professional to learn
how to make adjustments to your
insulin dose.
How do I check
my blood sugar?
1. Review the
LifeScan OneTouch®
Blood Glucose Monitoring System
Owner’s Booklet and/or DVD for
your meter.
2. Gather together all the supplies
you need before you test: meter,
test strips, logbook, etc.
3. Wash your hands with warm
water and soap before testing.
4. Prick the side (not the pad) of
your fingertip with a lancing
device or “penlet.”
5. Apply blood to the test strip
according to your meter
directions.
6. Write down the blood sugar
numbers in your logbook.
Your blood sugar goals may be
different from the ideal A1c goals
shown in the table at left. Ask
your doctor or other health care
professional what blood sugar goals
are best for you. It is very important
to know what actions to take when
your blood sugar number is either
higher or lower than the numbers
in the table. You may want to take a
diabetes class to learn more.
Keeping your blood sugar
at or near normal levels
reduces your risks of
diabetes complications,
such as problems with
your eyes, kidneys, or feet.
Goal for A1c
A1c < 7
A1c < 8
Goal for pre-meal
blood sugars
80–130 mg/dL
100–160 mg/dL
Goal for 2 hours
after a meal
Less than 180 mg/dL Less than 200 mg/dL
Goal for bedtime
blood sugars
100–160 mg/dL
100–200 mg/dL
Testing tells you how
different things affect
your blood sugar level, such as:
what, how much,
& when you eat
physical activity
stress or illness
your medications
healthy
living
Testing Your Own Blood Sugar
Not everyone needs to test his or
her blood sugar the same number of
times each day. Ask your doctor or
other health care professional what
amount of testing is best for you and
at what times of the day you will
need to test. Here are some general
guidelines about how often to test.
You may be asked to test more
often when you are:
• sick or have an infection
• changing your diabetes
medications or increasing the
dose of your medications with
your doctor or other health care
professional
• considering becoming pregnant, or
you are pregnant
• not in good control of your
diabetes
Other resources
The
LifeScan OneTouch® Blood
Glucose Monitoring System
Owner’s Booklet and blood
sugar logbook are available from
your doctor, other health care
professional, local Health Education
Center, or pharmacy.
• Connect to our website at
kp.org to access health and
drug encyclopedias, interactive
programs, health classes, and
much more.
• Visit your doctor’s home page at
kp.org/mydoctor to find reliable
health information, view your
medical record, check lab results,
email your doctor, and much more.
• Contact your Kaiser Permanente
Health Education Center or
Department for health information,
programs, and other resources.
• Visit
kpdoc.org/diabetes.
• If you are hit, hurt, or threatened
by a partner or spouse, this can
seriously affect your health,
including your diabetes. There is
help. Call the National Domestic
Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233
or connect to
ndvh.org.
This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other
health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. Kaiser Permanente
does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.
© 2003, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Regional Health Education.
90399 (Revised 6/15) RL 6.8
Safety and comfort
Some people feel pain or have a hard
time getting enough blood when
pricking their fingers. Here are some
ideas to help make it easier:
• Prick a different spot or different
finger each time to reduce redness
and soreness in your fingertips.
• To get more blood flowing to your
fingertips, shake your hand up
and down or run warm water over
your hand before you prick your
finger.
• Ask your doctor or other health
care professional about other
lancet options.
• Don’t share your lancing device
with others.
More tips for testing your
own blood sugar
• Call the LifeScan Customer
Services number (1-800-227-8862)
if you have problems with your
LifeScan meter.
• For accurate results, keep test
strips in their airtight bottle
and do not use strips after the
expiration date shown on the
bottle.
How often should I test?
If your diabetes treatment
includes:
Suggestions for how often to
test when your diabetes is in
good control:
❑ diet and exercise only
1 to 2 times a week
❑ diabetes pills
once each day or, for some
people, 1 to 2 times per week
❑ one injection of insulin at bedtime
1 time a day
❑ two injections of insulin a day
2 times a day
❑ three or more injections of
insulin a day
4 times a day
❑ insulin and diabetes pills
3 to 4 times a day
Other suggestions:
