Testing Blood Sugar
 When you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar is your number one goal. And the only way to measure the effectiveness of your meal plan, physical activity and medications is by testing your blood sugar regularly.
To make sure you're getting the whole picture, you should be taking advantage of two types of tests:
1. Regular self-monitoring—the blood sugar tests you perform yourself. These tests give you a snapshot of your blood sugar levels at the time of the test.
2. An A1C test (sometimes called a hemoglobin A1C or HgA1c test)—a test performed by your doctor every few months. This test gives you a look at your long-term control.
Together, these two tests can assist you in tracking your blood sugar accurately, helping you understand the connection between blood sugar levels and meals, activities and medications. As a result, you can work with your healthcare team to develop or modify a diabetes management plan to achieve more effective control and reduce your risk of diabetes-related complications.
Self-Monitoring
Testing your blood sugar (or SMBG, for self-monitoring of blood glucose) is a recommended part of day-to-day and long-term diabetes management.
While experts agree that anyone with diabetes can benefit from checking their blood sugar,1 it's especially important for people treated with insulin. In fact, the American Diabetes Association suggests that people with type 1 diabetes test their blood sugar three or more times each day. And those with type 2 diabetes should test as often as their doctor recommends to help reach their glucose goals.2
Testing helps you:
• monitor your diabetes
• track the effects of food, activity and medications
• determine where you need to make adjustments
The goal? To keep your blood sugar level within the range you and your doctor determine is best for you. In general, premeal glucose levels should range between 90 and 130 mg/dL. After eating, the goal is less than 180 mg/dL. Your healthcare team will help you determine the right targets for you.2
By keeping your blood sugar level within the recommended range, you're more likely to avoid the blood sugar highs and lows that may keep you from feeling your best. What's more, you can delay or even prevent many long-term health problems caused by high blood sugar.
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