Everything you need to know about home diabetes tests

What are home diabetes tests?

Testing blood glucose (sugar) is an essential part of your diabetes care plan. Depending on your current situation, you may need to visit your doctor several times a year for formal testing. You may also need to see your doctor for preventive tests, such as cholesterol checks and eye exams. While it’s important to stay in touch with your doctor to keep your treatment plan up to date, you can now easily test your blood sugar at home yourself. A home test for diabetes is not a replacement for a medical check-up.

Self-monitoring your blood glucose can be vital to your treatment. By testing your own levels, you learn how to manage your blood sugar, no matter what time of day it is or where you are. Learn how these tests work and talk to your doctor about the benefits of self-monitoring.

Who can use home diabetes tests?

Your doctor will help you decide whether you should test your blood sugar at home. If you do, they’ll determine how often you should test and at what times of day. They’ll also tell you what your target blood sugar levels are. You might consider home diabetes testing if you:

• have type 1 diabetes
• have type 2 diabetes
• have prediabetes
• have symptoms of diabetes

By tracking your blood glucose, you can uncover problems in your current diabetes care.

Normal blood glucose usually ranges between 70 and 140 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is below 70 mg/dL, and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is well above 140 mg/dL.

By keeping glucose at a normal level, you can help prevent diabetes complications such as:

• diabetic coma
• eye disease
• gum disease
• kidney damage
• nerve damage

How do you do a diabetes test?

Blood glucose tests come in different forms, but they all have the same goal: to tell you what your blood sugar level is at that moment. Most home tests require:

• a lancet (small needle) and a lancing device (to hold the needle)
• test strips
• a glucose meter

Follow these steps to perform the home tests:

1. Wash your hands.
2. Place a lancet in the lancing device so it’s ready to use.
3. Insert a new test strip into the meter.
4. Prick your finger with the lancet in the protective lancing device.
5. Carefully place the resulting drop of blood on the test strip and wait for the results.

Results usually appear within a few seconds. Regularly check the expiration date on the strips to make sure they aren’t out of date.

Tips for accurate home diabetes testing

Finger pricking has traditionally provided the most accurate results. Some tests advise you to prick your thigh or forearm, but it’s best to ask your doctor about this first.

Most doctors will probably advise you to do several tests a day if you use insulin (the exact number depends on the amount and type of insulin).

Ask your doctor whether, and how often, you should test yourself if you don’t use insulin.

You may want to test before and after meals to see how your eating pattern affects blood glucose. It’s especially important to test after eating simple carbohydrates or sugary foods to make sure your glucose doesn’t get too high.

It’s also important to test when you make a change to your treatment plan or if you think you’re getting sick.

A blood glucose log is essential for tracking your results. Whether you keep your readings on paper or electronically, this information helps you identify patterns and potential problems.

You should save your charts and take them with you to your next doctor’s visit. When you record your results, also note:

• the date and time of the test
• any medication you take, including the dosage
• whether the test was before or after a meal
• food you’ve eaten (if you’re accounting for the carbohydrate content of that meal after eating)
• any workouts you did that day and when you did them

Home testing versus medical testing

Self-monitoring your blood sugar is crucial for determining how your diabetes is doing on a day-to-day basis.

It’s unrealistic to assume that a few tests a year at the doctor’s office can give an accurate picture of your condition, because glucose levels fluctuate throughout the day. However, this doesn’t mean that home testing should replace your regular preventive tests.

In addition to home self-monitoring, your doctor will probably recommend an A1c test. This measures what your average blood glucose has been over the last two to three months.

According to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, A1c tests are scheduled up to four times a year.

Regular lab tests can also help you get a feel for how stable your diabetes control is. They can help you and your doctors monitor your diabetes and keep an eye on whether your levels are within acceptable limits. It’s very important to be well informed about the usual values yourself. If you find that you’re below or above the threshold, contact your GP or hospital immediately.