Checking blood sugar with diabetes

Subject: blood sugar testing?

How often should I check my glucose if I have type 2 diabetes?

There is no set guideline for the number of times to check your blood sugars daily.  It may depend on how good your blood sugar control is and what kinds of meds you are taking.  As a general guideline, our Diabetes Care Center generally recommends for patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes to check first thing in the morning before breakfast and 2 hours after a meal - this way we can assess both the sugar that your body makes during the night and how your body handles food during the day.  We also recommend checking blood sugars if you are experiencing symptoms of low blood sugar.  If you are on an intensive insulin regimen you will likely need to check your blood sugars more frequently to achieve better control.  Also, if your A1C does not seem consistent with the readings you are getting, you may want to check more frequently during the day to see if there are highs or lows in your blood sugars throughout the day that you are not aware of.  The more you check your blood sugars, the better understanding you will have of how the different things you do affect your blood sugar.