If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor or health care professional will be able to advise you about how often you will need to test your own blood sugar levels. It is important that you understand what they are telling you, and that you ask any questions you may have about how and when to test.
How often you need to test will depend very much upon the type of diabetes that you have been diagnosed with, and the treatment plan your doctor has devised for you.
For patients with Type 1 diabetes – you will probably be asked to test before and after meals and snacks, before and after exercise and at some point during the night. That could be anywhere up to 10 times every single day, meaning that you need a lot of testing strips to stay well.
For patients with Type 2 diabetes – your doctor will usually recommend that you test your blood sugar several times a day. This is usually recommended before meals and at bedtime if you’re taking multiple daily injections. Again, the number of times that you will need to test will directly impact how many test strips you will need to effectively manage your condition.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Some patients who are treated with insulin choose to use a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). These devices measure your blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor under the skin. If your blood sugar is becoming too low or too high, the device will signal an alarm to make you aware. Even with one of these machines, you will still need to do some finger-stick checks in order to calibrate the machine and stay well.
Know what you are testing for
Knowing when to test is important, but knowing what you are testing for is equally as important in keeping you well. For many people who have diabetes, they should be looking at the following target blood sugar levels before meals:
- Between 80 and 130 mg/dL (4.4 and 7.2 mmol/L) milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) before meals, and
- Less than 180 mg/dL (10.0 mmol/L) two hours after meals
As a general rule, and unless your doctor has told you differently, you should aim to check your blood sugar at the following times:
- Before each meal
- 1 or 2 hours after a meal
- Before a bedtime snack
- In the middle of the night
- Before physical activity, to see if you need a snack
- During and after physical activity
- If you think your blood sugar might be too high, too low or falling
- When you’re sick or under stress
How to Test My Blood sugar
Using either a simple diagnostic test strip, a test strip with a Glucometer or even a CGM machine, it is vital that you have enough test strips to keep you well, and your doctor or healthcare provider will make sure that you always have a plentiful supply.
In some cases, you can accumulate too many unused test strips. In this instance, sell them to us. You get much-needed cash for unused test strips that would otherwise go in the trash, and someone else gets to buy the test trips they need at a reduced price.
If you have extra, unopened and unused boxes of diabetic test strips – whether you have switched brands, no longer need to test or test less frequently, or have a loved one who has passed away – don’t let them gather dust until they’ve expired and ended up in the trash. We’re the best place to sell diabetic test strips online, and if you want to sell your test strips, we’re here to make the process easy and enjoyable!
Visit us at Sell Your Test Strips and get your free quote today!
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