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Why should I have one?
Checking your blood sugar level can help you take better care of your diabetes. This will help you learn how eating, exercise, stress levels and using medicines change your blood sugar level. Keeping good blood sugar levels will help you stay healthy and prevent or slow down diabetes related problems such as blindness, nerve problems or kidney failure.
What should I look out for when choosing a meter?
Cost: how much does the meter and strips cost? Are the strips easily available?
Size of text: Are the readings large enough to be read easily?
Size and shape of the meter: Most meters fit easily in your hand. If you’re an athlete or travel often, or if you just want to be able to put a meter in your pocket, check out its size and shape before buying. Don’t forget that you’ll also be carrying your lancing device and test strips with your meter, which might add a bit of bulk.
Sample size of blood: Meters nowadays generally need only a small amount of blood for the test, which makes testing less painful.
Maintenance and support: Is it easy to clean? How or who do you ask if you have problems with the meter?
Special functions: Are there any extra functions such as information storage? Some meters are able to download your blood sugar readings to the computer or hand phone and allows you to email the test results to your doctor.
What do the numbers mean?
Blood Sugar Level | What it means | ||||
Excellent | Good | Slightly high | Poor | ||
Before meals | mmol/L | 4.0 – 6.0 | 6.1 – 8.0 | 8.1 – 10.0 | >10 |
mg/dL | 72 – 109 | 110 – 144 | 145 – 180 | >180 | |
2 hours after meal | mmol/L | 5.0 – 7.0 | 7.1 – 10.0 | 10.1 – 13.0 | >13 |
mg/dL | 90 - 126 | 127 – 180 | 181 – 234 | >235 | |
Source: HealthHub
What do the readings mean?
If your blood sugar readings fall under the “poor” levels, see your doctor as soon as possible.
If your blood sugar reading often falls in the “slightly high” range, you may wish to check with your doctor to find out more about changes to your diet or medicine.
How do I use a blood sugar meter?
Read the instruction manual before using the meter for the first time.
- Insert the test strip into the meter to turn it on.
- Set the meter units to mmol/L or mg/dL
- Clean your finger with alcohol wipes
- Use the lancet to prick your finger and get a drop of blood from the tip of the cleaned finger. Hold the drop of blood to the edge of the strip
- Wait for a few seconds and your blood sugar results will appear
- Write down the reading on a notebook
- Remove test strip from the meter
