I have just been diagnosed with diabetes and would like to keep my sugars under control. When should I measure my blood glucose levels?

All individuals who have been diagnosed with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels on a regular basis. The monitoring of blood glucose should initially be done more frequently to ensure that the medications are working. Once the levels of blood glucose have been stabilized, one can check the blood glucose levels less frequently. However, all diabetic individuals should understand that it is vital to maintain glucose levels at normal levels – if this is not done, devastating complications of diabetes can occur in a short time. Just getting a blood sugar level measured in the doctor’s office once every 2-3 months is not good enough. You must get in the habit of measuring blood sugars at home.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes need to measure blood sugar levels more often. These individuals needs to prick themselves at least 4-6 times a day, especially before and after each meal.

Initially all type 2 diabetics need to monitor their blood sugars frequently once the dose of anti diabetic medications have been adjusted and baseline sugars have developed the frequency of blood sugar monitoring can be reduced. In any case, it is wise to monitor blood sugars at least once to twice a week to ensure that the medications are working.