Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Should Use OneWhen to TestSupplies You NeedInstructionsCommon ProblemsMonitoring ChildrenAlternative OptionFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Blood Glucose Monitoring GuideThe Best 4 Glucometers, Tested and Reviewed
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Who Should Use One
When to Test
Supplies You Need
Instructions
Common Problems
Monitoring Children
Alternative Option
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Blood Glucose Monitoring Guide
Aglucometeris a small, portable device that lets you check yourblood sugars(glucose levels) at home.
Also calledglucose meters, these devices can tell you in seconds if yourblood sugar is too low, too high, or on target. No matter what type ofdiabetesyou have, aglucometercan give you valuable information.This article looks at how glucometers work, who should use them, when and how to test, target ranges, and how to help children test their blood sugars.
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Who Should Use a Glucometer?
You may need to use a glucometer regularly if you have:
Frequent glucometer use can help you:
Glucose control is important because of both short-term and long-termhealth consequences of unmanaged diabetes.
Guidelines for Blood Glucose Monitoring
Talk to your doctor aboutwhen and how often you should testyour blood sugars. Make sure you know what to do if your results are low or high.
Your testing frequency may depend on your type of diabetes and your treatment plan. Your healthcare provider will tell you what testing schedule is best for you. That schedule may or may not be similar to the general guidelines.
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Type 1 Diabetes
That makes frequent testing important. It helps ensure you have enough insulin to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If you have type 1 diabetes, you may need to test your glucose levels four to 10 times per day.
You may test:
If your routine changes or you get sick, you may need to test even more often.
Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes
In type 2 and gestational diabetes (GD), your body still produces insulin, but it doesn’t use it efficiently. This is called insulin resistance and it makes blood sugar levels rise.
If you have one of these conditions, you may only need to test two to four times per day. You may test much more often, though, especially when your diagnosis is new and your levels aren’t yet stable.
You may check:
In part, this depends on whether you take insulin or use other medications. If you manage your diabetes with non-insulin medication and know your typical patterns, you may not even need to test daily.
Target Glucose Ranges
General guidelines for target glucose levels may or may not apply to you. Your healthcare provider can tell you the ideal range for you. Levels can vary depending on:
The American Diabetes Association says the following target range applies to most non-pregnant adults with diabetes.
Blood Sugar Levels After Eating: What’s Normal and Abnormal
Before you use your glucometer, make sure you have all the necessary supplies:
You’ll need to use test strips specially made to work with your glucometer. Also, the lancets need to be the right design for your lancing device.
Glucometers only need a drop of blood. The meters are small enough to travel with or fit in a purse. You can use one anywhere.
Each device comes with an instruction manual. And typically, a healthcare provider will go over your new glucometer with you too. This may be anendocrinologistor a certified diabetic educator (CDE), a professional who can also help develop an individualized care plan, create meal plans, answer questions about managing your disease, and more.These are general instructions and may not be accurate for all glucometer models. For example, while the fingers are the most common sites to use, some glucometers allow you to use your thigh, forearm, or the fleshy part of your hand. Check your manual before using the device.
Verywell / Hugo Lin
Before You Start
Prepare what you need and wash up before drawing blood:
Getting and Testing a Sample
This process is quick, but doing it right will help you avoid having to re-stick yourself.
Recording Your Results
Keeping a log of your results makes it easier for you and your healthcare provider to build a treatment plan.
You can do this on paper, but smartphone apps that sync with glucometers make this very easy. Some devices even record readings on the monitors themselves.
The Top 5 Apps for Managing Diabetes
Lancet DisposalDispose of lancets in a sharps container. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacy for one or use a thick, plastic bottle with a screw-on cap. Take the container to a hospital or pharmacy with a drop-off program or check disposal regulations where you live.
Lancet Disposal
Dispose of lancets in a sharps container. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacy for one or use a thick, plastic bottle with a screw-on cap. Take the container to a hospital or pharmacy with a drop-off program or check disposal regulations where you live.
Avoiding Common Problems
Properly maintaining and using your glucose meter can help you avoid incorrect readings, insufficient samples, and your monitor not working when you need it to.
You should:
Lancet Pain
If lancing your finger is painful, you have a few options for making it hurt less:
Glucose Testing On-the-Go
When traveling, be sure to pack extra test strips, lancets, and other supplies like insulin, needles, and batteries.
If you’re flying, checkTSA rulesfor carrying your supplies and medications.
Traveling with Diabetes
Glucose Monitoring in Children
Kids with diabetes of any type need to check their glucose levels, too. Children may need to test more often than adults, especially if they use insulin.
Getting your child get familiar with regular glucose testing can help with:
Children may also have higher glucose target ranges than adults. Their healthcare provider can tell you what a child’s ideal range is.
Children who havehypoglycemiaor low blood sugar episodes may need to be tested in the middle of the night.
Extra testing may also be required when your child is sick.
Helping Kids Self-Test
Practice using the glucometer with your child often. Empowering them with the tools and know-how they need will help when they transition to taking care of themselves.
Teach your child that glucose self-testing is a big responsibility. Let them know how important it is for managing their condition as they grow older and more independent.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring: An Alternative
Because you need to test your sugars more often if you have type 1 diabetes, you may want to look into a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) rather than a traditional glucometer.
With a CGM, a tiny sensor is inserted under your skin. It usually goes in the:
The sensor transmits a glucose readout to a special monitoring device or smartphone, usually every five to 15 minutes.
Because the sensor is not replaced for several days, this technology reduces—but may not eliminate—the need for finger pricks.
Ask your healthcare provider if a CGM is right for you.
Pros and Cons of Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Summary
Your healthcare provider can tell you how often to test and what your target ranges are.
Frequently Asked QuestionsTo get a reading, prick your fingertip and place a drop of blood on a plastic test strip inserted into the glucometer. The meter then gives you a reading.Blood sugars fluctuate so frequent monitoring is the best way to get your diabetes under control. Poor control means greater health risks, including kidney disease, vision loss, heart disease, and other health problems.A continuous glucose monitor has a tiny sensor that’s inserted under your skin. It checks your blood sugar level every few minutes around the clock and sends results to a remote monitor. This gives you the ability to monitor levels without multiple finger pricks.
To get a reading, prick your fingertip and place a drop of blood on a plastic test strip inserted into the glucometer. The meter then gives you a reading.
Blood sugars fluctuate so frequent monitoring is the best way to get your diabetes under control. Poor control means greater health risks, including kidney disease, vision loss, heart disease, and other health problems.
A continuous glucose monitor has a tiny sensor that’s inserted under your skin. It checks your blood sugar level every few minutes around the clock and sends results to a remote monitor. This gives you the ability to monitor levels without multiple finger pricks.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Know your blood sugar numbers: Use them to manage your diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 2 diabetes.Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.How a diabetes care and education specialist can help you.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monitoring your blood sugar.University of Florida Diabetes Institute.Getting rid of used needles, syringes, and lancets.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Basic general guidelines for handling diabetes supplies during natural disasters.UpToDate.Patient education: Blood glucose monitoring in diabetes (Beyond the basics).Additional ReadingAmerican Diabetes Association.The big picture: Checking your glucose.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Continuous glucose monitoring.Nemours KidsHealth.Monitoring blood sugar.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Know your blood sugar numbers: Use them to manage your diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 2 diabetes.Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.How a diabetes care and education specialist can help you.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monitoring your blood sugar.University of Florida Diabetes Institute.Getting rid of used needles, syringes, and lancets.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Basic general guidelines for handling diabetes supplies during natural disasters.UpToDate.Patient education: Blood glucose monitoring in diabetes (Beyond the basics).Additional ReadingAmerican Diabetes Association.The big picture: Checking your glucose.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Continuous glucose monitoring.Nemours KidsHealth.Monitoring blood sugar.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Know your blood sugar numbers: Use them to manage your diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 2 diabetes.Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.How a diabetes care and education specialist can help you.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monitoring your blood sugar.University of Florida Diabetes Institute.Getting rid of used needles, syringes, and lancets.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Basic general guidelines for handling diabetes supplies during natural disasters.UpToDate.Patient education: Blood glucose monitoring in diabetes (Beyond the basics).
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Know your blood sugar numbers: Use them to manage your diabetes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 1 diabetes
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Type 2 diabetes.
Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.How a diabetes care and education specialist can help you.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Monitoring your blood sugar.
University of Florida Diabetes Institute.Getting rid of used needles, syringes, and lancets.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Basic general guidelines for handling diabetes supplies during natural disasters.
UpToDate.Patient education: Blood glucose monitoring in diabetes (Beyond the basics).
American Diabetes Association.The big picture: Checking your glucose.National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Continuous glucose monitoring.Nemours KidsHealth.Monitoring blood sugar.
American Diabetes Association.The big picture: Checking your glucose.
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Continuous glucose monitoring.
Nemours KidsHealth.Monitoring blood sugar.
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Guidelines for Blood Glucose TestingBlood Glucose Levels: What’s Normal, What’s NotWhat Blood Glucose Meter Is Right for You?10 Steps for Using a GlucometerCheck Your Blood Sugar Anywhere With These 4 Best GlucometersContinuous Glucose Monitoring: Weighing the Pros and Cons
Guidelines for Blood Glucose Testing
Blood Glucose Levels: What’s Normal, What’s Not
What Blood Glucose Meter Is Right for You?
10 Steps for Using a Glucometer
Check Your Blood Sugar Anywhere With These 4 Best Glucometers
Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Weighing the Pros and Cons
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