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An easy access environment offering a range of educational materials for the healthcare professional with information on various subjects in diabetes management.

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Monitoring

Controlling your blood glucose is a very important part of managing diabetes. Testing your blood glucose regularly helps measure the effectiveness of your meal plan, physical activity and medications. You can use this information to make large-scale decisions, like whether to continue with a particular workout program, or small ones, like whether to eat a snack.

To self-test your blood glucose, you need a meter, a strip and a lancing device. Then, follow these steps:1

  • Wash and dry your hands. Using warm water may help the blood flow.
  • Prick your finger with the lancing device to obtain a drop of blood.
  • Hold the strip to the blood so that it can absorb the amount of blood it needs.
  • Wait a few seconds to view your results.
  • Discard the lancet and strip properly.

Follow the instructions included with your lancing device to get a drop of blood — which normally include shaking your hands below the wrist or gently squeezing your finger a few times. While testing from the tip of a finger is most common, it is possible to use alternate sites for testing. Other methods of testing and monitoring will look at your blood glucose in the long-term. An A1C (also known as glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c) gives you a picture of your average blood glucose control for the past 120 days (3 to 4 months).


* Treatment goals and strategies must be tailored to the indvidual with diabetes, with consideration given to individual risk factors.

1Joslin Diabetes Center. Blood glucose monitoring: your tool for diabetes control. Available at: http://www.joslin.org/managing_your_diabetes_650.asp. Accessed September 13, 2011.
²Canadian Diabetes Association, 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Managment of Diabetes in Canada

Your A1C number

Consider your A1C number (also known as HbA1c or glycated hemoglobin) as a snapshot of your blood glucose levels over several months. Over time, glucose naturally attaches itself to your blood cells. When this happens, the cell is considered “glycated.” The more glucose in your blood, the more glycated A1C cells you have.

What’s an optimal A1C number?

The recommended A1C target for a person with diabetes is 7% or lower—some people remember this figure as “lucky number 7.” However, while your A1C number gives you and your doctor an idea of how your diabetes is being managed over time, it does not tell you about drastic drops and elevations in your day-to-day blood glucose levels during that period.

How do fluctuations in my blood glucose levels affect my overall health?

While drops (hypoglycemia) and peaks (hyperglycemia) in your blood glucose levels outside of your target zone can have an immediate impact on your sense of well-being, research shows that the long-term consequences of such fluctuations can be dangerous. Studies show that hyperglycemia can increase your risk of developing heart, eye and kidney disease, as well as certain cancers, particularly in cases of post-meal hyperglycemia. Your A1C is an important part of your diabetes management, but it cannot replace daily self-monitoring, which highlights how your body and blood glucose respond to meals, physical activity, medications, illness and stress over short periods of time.

How often should I test my A1C?

Generally, you should test your A1C no fewer than twice a year, and most medical professionals suggest testing every three months, which is the approximate lifespan of blood cells. You can test your A1C with an at-home kit or at your doctor’s office. Speak with your healthcare professional to determine where and how frequently you should test your A1C level.

Reducing your A1C value to a healthier level can decrease your risk of many diabetes-related complications, so you can live a fuller, healthier life.

References

American Diabetes Association. A1C test. Available at: http://www.diabetesarchive.net/type-2-diabetes/a1c-test.jsp.

American Diabetes Association. A1C. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/a1c/.

Healthy Habits of Living with Diabetes: Quick Tips for Monitoring your Hemoglobin A1C. Accu-Chek.

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Hypoglycemia and Exercise
Physical activity or exercising for a prolonged period can lower blood glucose, but there are several measures you can take to treat it.

Learn more »

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