Monitoring Blood Glucose Levels (BGL)

Why is it so important to test my blood?

Self-blood glucose monitoring (SBGM) is a valuable diabetes management tool, which enables people to check their own blood glucose levels as often as they need to or as recommended.

Regular testing of your blood glucose level (BGL) can reinforce your healthy lifestyle choices as well as inform you of your response to other choices and influences.

Importantly, BGL pattern changes can alert you and your health professionals to a possible need for a change in how your diabetes is being managed. Changes can show you and your doctor or diabetes educator if you need to start, change or increase medications to lower blood glucose levels – or even to reduce the medications!

Testing your BGLs will help you to:
  • Develop confidence in looking after your diabetes and maintaining good health.
  • Better understand the relationship between your BGLs and the exercise you do, the food you eat and other lifestyle influences such as travel, stress and illness
  • Know how your lifestyle choices and medication, if used, are making a difference.
  • Find out immediately if your BGLs are too high (hyperglycaemia) or too low (hypoglycaemia), helping you to make important decisions such as eating before exercise, treating a ‘hypo’ or seeking medical advice if sick. (For more information refer to Diabetes Australia’s individual fact sheets on Physical Activity, Hypoglycaemia and Sick Days about these topics).
  • Know when to seek the advice of your diabetes health professional about adjusting your insulin or tablets or modifying meals and snacks when your BGL goals are not being met.
How do I test my blood?

You will need a blood glucose meter, a lancet device with lancets and test strips. The finger is pricked with the lancet to obtain a very small drop of blood, which is then applied to a test strip placed in the meter. The results are displayed within seconds.

Blood glucose meters are usually sold as kits giving you all the equipment you need to start. There are many different types, offering different features and at different prices to meet individual needs. Most of these are available from Diabetes Australia, pharmacies and some diabetes centres.

A diabetes health professional such as a diabetes educator can help you to choose the meter that’s best for you. Your diabetes educator will also give you all the information you need about how, where and when to test your blood glucose levels (BGLs) and work with you in planning a routine that works for you and the life you lead.

What do I aim for?


Successful management of diabetes is all about aiming for a careful balance between the food you eat, how active you are and the medication you take for your diabetes. This is a delicate balance and it can be quite difficult to achieve ideal control all the time.

For some people, the ranges will vary depending on the individual and their circumstances. While it is important to keep your BGLs as close as possible to the ideal range so as to prevent problems, it is equally important to check with your diabetes educator or doctor for the range of blood glucose levels that are right and safe for you. Therefore the following information should be treated only as a general guide.


 

Targets for glycaemic control

Risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) Less than 3.5mmol/L† – if insulin or certain types of
tablets are used, but does not apply to other tablets or
where blood glucose is controlled by meal plans alone
Normal levels 4-6mmol/L† before meals
4-8mmol/L† after meals*
Ideal levels 4-6mmol/L† before meals
Up to 8mmol/L† after meals*
Moderate levels 6-7mmol/L before meals
Up to 11mmol/L† after meals*
Above target levels More than 7mmol/L† before meals
More than 11mmol/L† after meals*

 

 

* Two hours after starting the meal

† In Australia blood glucose levels are measured in mmol/L (millimoles per litre). In some other countries the unit
of measurement is mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre).