Do you know your blood sugar goals? Havingblood sugar levels inside your target range will help you to avoidcomplications later on. Many people with diabetes, on insulin or not,self-monitor their blood sugar levels throughout their day. If you have notdeveloped this plan with your doctor, some general guidelines are as follows. Test when:

• When you wake-up in the morning, before you move around… shower, shave
  or do anything else
• Before meals
• Two-hours after starting to eat your meal… Caution: Testing one hour after one meal andtwo hours the next, may give you a false comparison. It needs to beconsistently the same postprandial comparison… and this is an essential readingfor type 2 diabetics, the postprandial reading!

Type 1 diabetics need to check their blood sugar levels frequently. People with type 2 diabetes usually monitor their blood sugar levels at different times on different days… this gives your doctor a big picture of how your diabetes care plan is working. If you know where your sugar level is at, you can compensate and change things for the remaining part of the day. Those changes could include going for a ten-minute walk if your levels are too high,drinking plenty of water to flush the sugar through your kidneys, or even changing your eating pattern for a period of time. The aim is to have total control over those levels, making them as close as possible to your target range.

Additional suggested times to check your blood glucose levels are:

• Before driving, especially if you have been fasting
• When you feel grouchy, hungry, or just generally not yourself
• Before, during or after exercising

Knowing your blood sugar level allows you toalter your diabetes management plan if your levels are not near your targetrange. Everyone with diabetes should test their blood sugar levels regularly. It is one of the most important things you can do.

Also, regular testing of your blood sugar canhelp reduce your risk of developing long-term complications. This was backed upby studies based on people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the DiabetesControl and Complications Trial (DCCT) and the United Kingdom Prevention of Diabetes Trial (UKPDS).

These trials both showed that maintaining near-normal blood sugar and Hb A1c levels significantly reduce the risks of complications from diabetes. Your body requires sugar in your blood stream all the time, but everyone’s sugar levels fluctuate during the day. In the non-diabetic, their glucose and insulin levels rise in step with each other,and peak about one hour after eating.

Blood glucose also rises a little during the night as your liver releases a bit of stored-up glucose into your body during sleep. Self-monitoring gives you an advantage of being capable of bringing any perilous situation under control.

With proper management, you can learn to control your blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is not life-threatening unless very advanced. If you do have this condition, by following a healthy eating plan and exercising moderately five to seven days a week, it is possible to control your blood sugar levels. The main thing is to include a test covering fasting blood sugar levels in your regular health care plan… stay a step ahead of type 2 diabetes.

*The author of this blog is not a medical professional and this article does not contain professional medical advice. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the contents of this article. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.