How often should I test my blood glucose level?

If you are having insulin therapy

If you are having insulin therapy, you need to make sure you are getting the right dose. Aim to check your blood glucose levels two or three times a day when you first start using insulin. Your monitor will be able to help you to know how much insulin you need for your glucose to be in an acceptable range. An acceptable range is 5-7 mmol/L in the morning and around 10 mmol/L two hours after a meal.

If you are managing your diabetes with diet and exercise and/or taking metaformin or insulin sensitiser tablets

If you are controlling your diabetes through lifestyle, taking metaformin tablets or insulin sensitisers such as glitazones, it may not be essential to test your blood glucose levels at home. However, self-testing is a useful way to discover the effects of different activities, foods and drinks on your blood glucose levels. Self-testing should help you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle. You could use your monitor two or three times a week, at different times of day and after different activities.

If you are taking sulphonylureas tablets to lower your blood glucose

Sulphonylureas tablets help you to produce more insulin, which can in turn cause your blood glucose to be low (hypoglycaemia). You may need to test more often than two or three times per week if you are having symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Your diabetes healthcare team will be able to give you more advice about this and will find the results from your self-testing useful when deciding the best dose of sulphonylurea for you.