Structured Blood Glucose Monitoring For Diabetes
How to monitor diabetes and make sense of the numbers
Sometimes managing diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, can be a handful and there can be a number of questions around how often blood glucose should be tested and what tools are available to help monitor blood glucose levels accurately.
For over 40 years and with its Accu-Chek brand and mySugr app, Roche Diabetes Care has been dedicated to enabling people with diabetes to live life as normal and active as possible. We believe in the importance of structured blood glucose monitoring, here are some hints and tips to help you make sense of the numbers.
What is structured blood glucose monitoring?
Structured monitoring involves checking blood glucose readings for a purpose. Checking at specific times during the day allows you to see the effect food, exercise and medication is having on your blood glucose levels. This can give you a better understanding of the fluctuations in your blood glucose.
Tools to help structure blood glucose monitoring
It can be hard to monitor regularly, if you are out and about, on the move or at work. There are a number of tools available that can help establish a monitoring routine and spot accurate patterns such as the mySugr app which puts managing diabetes in your hand.
How often should you be monitoring?
The amount of factors that affect blood glucose levels are endless - food, exercise, medications, sleep, temperature etc, so it’s safe to say no day with diabetes is the same. Using a structured way of checking your blood glucose can help you reduce your HbA1c.1
Accuracy of monitoring blood glucose levels
It is only when monitoring blood glucose levels in a structured way, in different environments, will the results help build an accurate picture of the impacts of diet and lifestyle on your blood glucose levels.
Logging your activity, food intake and other factors may help you spot patterns and give you a good basis to have conversation with your healthcare professional about your therapy and lifestyle. Please discuss structured blood glucose monitoring with your healthcare professional.
Tools to help monitor blood glucose levels
Our range of handy tools help you record and make sense of the numbers, so you can stay in range, keep healthy and have confidence that you are managing your diabetes.
mySugr app
The mySugr app will be your best companion to monitor, control and manage your diabetes. Download the mySugr Pro app for free (T&Cs apply).2
Accu-Chek Weekly Diary template
Use this paper based diary template to record your blood glucose, your medical doses and any comments you want to keep.
Accu-Chek 360° View tool
If you prefer a paper tool, Accu-Chek 360° View allows you to record your carb/meal size, insulin, energy levels, any activity and your blood glucose over a period of three days to spot patterns.
Accu-Chek Testing in Pairs tool
This simple paper tool helps you see changes in your blood glucose before and after a specific meal, exercise or other event. Use it for seven days to see how things can affect your blood glucose levels.
References:
- Polonsky WH, Fisher L, Schikman CH, Hinnen DA, Parkin CG, Jelsovsky Z, et al. Structured Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose Significantly Reduces A1C Levels in Poorly Controlled, Noninsulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes: Results from the Structured Testing Program study. Diabetes Care. 2011;34(2):262–7.
- Get mySugr Pro for free for one month: Regardless of what meter you use, we are offering adults with diabetes the Pro version of the mySugr app free of charge. This offer can be redeemed multiple times until 31st December 2020. Terms and conditions apply
- Study: Structured Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Non-Insulin Treated Type 2 Diabetes: The Evidence and the Impact Dr Sharon Parsons, Swansea University