Monitoring Your Blood Sugar

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Many factors like food choices, medicines, and physical activity cause your blood sugar to change throughout the day. Some change is normal, but when your blood sugar is too high or too low, this can cause problems.

Monitoring will help you figure out what affects your numbers, find patterns, and adjust as you go. By checking regularly you’ll be more likely to achieve your blood sugar target ranges. Monitoring also helps your health care team make decisions about your diabetes care plan. Your doctor will tell you when and how often to check your blood sugar levels.

Most blood sugar meters (also known as glucometers) save your results for you and your health care team to review. Some meters may use an app on your phone to track your levels. If you prefer not to use a phone or don’t have one, you can keep a written record.

There are different kinds of meters, but most of them work the same way. Ask your health care team to show you how they work. Have someone else also learn how to use your meter in case you’re sick and can’t check your blood sugar yourself.