Last Updated on by San San
How Often Should You Check Your Blood Sugar Levels?
Your body’s blood sugar level is an important diagnostic tool. People most often monitor their blood sugar levels as it is associated with diabetes and associated medical conditions.
Obviously, the answer to the question ‘How often should you check your blood sugar?’ is going to be different for each person.
If you are someone suffering from Type II diabetes, the answer is not going to be the same as for a healthy individual who does not suffer from the health problems associated with high blood sugar.
Therefore, the answer can range from anywhere from zero to more than 10 times a day, depending on your age, health and diagnoses.
However, there are some key times that everyone should have an understanding of what is going on in their body and whether their blood sugar is in the ideal range, or whether it is something they should take a closer look at.
In this post, we’ll cover the many ways your body can let you know whether and how often you should check your blood sugar.
How Often Should You Check Your Blood Sugar for the Non-diabetic?
Let’s start with a healthy individual who does not suffer from any of the associated symptoms of diabetes or pre-diabetes.
You may be surprised that healthcare professionals recommend blood sugar testing even for those who do not suffer from any signs or symptoms of high blood sugar or diabetes.
So how often to check blood sugar for non-diabetic? Medical professionals only suggest healthy individuals check their blood sugar levels once every three years for people over the age of 45.
This is most often done during a traditional screening of lab work at a doctor’s office and does not normally require individuals to purchase any equipment or take readings at home.
Your doctor might suggest you take your blood sugar screening more or less often depending on your risk factors, so be sure to have a conversation if you are worried you might show symptoms of high or low blood sugar.
How Often Should You Check Your Blood Sugar If You are Pre-diabetic?
A diagnosis of prediabetes means that while you do not exhibit the telltale signs of diabetes, but your doctor is worried about you developing diabetes.
If you have had this conversation with your doctor, then most likely you are monitoring your blood sugar levels and taking actions to get your levels to a more healthy range.
If you know that you are prediabetic, then you should keep an especially keen eye out for all of the following symptoms:
- Blurry vision
- Fatigue
- Extreme thirst despite drinking plenty of water
- Extreme hunger despite eating
- Urinating more frequently than normal
- Tingling sensation or pain in the hands and feet
- Slow-healing cuts and bruises
Once you have been diagnosed as prediabetic, you’ll want to know: How often should I check my blood sugar if I am prediabetic?
Of course, you should have this conversation with your doctor to come up with a treatment plan built specifically for you. But in general, you will likely be asked to take blood sugar readings weekly or daily.
Your doctor might also request you take other steps to monitor your blood sugar, including A1C tests that show blood sugar levels over several months, fasting plasma glucose and the oral glucose tolerance test.
How Often Should You Check Your Blood Sugar With Type 1 Diabetes?
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will most likely set up an individualized treatment plan that will include frequent blood sugar tests.
Depending on your specific circumstances, this could range anywhere from once to 10 times daily.
The most frequent times for checking your blood sugar level includes: before you eat, before and after you exercise and before you go to bed at night.
To track certain health issues, your doctor might ask you to take a reading during the night on rare occasions. And you will likely be asked to check your blood sugar levels more often if you dramatically change your daily routine, change medications or become sick.
How Often Should You Check Your Blood Sugar with Type 2 Diabetes?
As with Type 1 diabetes, your doctor will likely set up an individualized plan that is built specifically for your situation.
How many time a day you are asked to check your blood sugar level will depend on things like your overall health, your diet and the type of insulin you were prescribed. If you are taking multiple insulin injections each day, you will likely be asked to take your blood sugar before meals and before bed.
If you are taking long-term insulin solutions, such as a continuous glucose monitor, you may not have to take quite as many readings.
How Often Should I Check My Blood Sugar With Gestational Diabetes?
Women who are pregnant may want to take extra care to ensure their blood levels are safe for themselves and their child.
Usually, those with gestational diabetes will be asked to check their blood sugar a few times a day – in the morning before breakfast and about two hours after each meal. As with all forms of diabetes, it’s important to come up with a specific strategy for your healthcare with your doctor.
The Conclusion
Hopefully after reading this post you realize how important it is to track your blood sugar levels. Talk to your doctor today to find out exactly the best way to keep track of your health to match your specific biome.