Interpreting Your Glucometer Readings

Do you ever check your blood sugars and not know what to do with the results? Do you check your blood sugars every day at the same times and always see very different numbers? After years of researching, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) set some goals for your blood sugars. You can use the below values as a basic guide.

• Before meals: 80-130 mg/dl
• 2 Hours after the first bite of a meal: Less than 180 mg/dl (ideally less than 140 mg/dl)*

Some people require tighter control of their blood sugars and should aim for the lower level, but depending on your age, health conditions, social and environmental situations, and other factors, having tight glucose control could be dangerous. Please talk with your healthcare provider to determine what blood glucose goals work more appropriately for you. Tips to better understand the results from your glucometer:

1. Log your results into Unified Care app and try to identify any factors that might affect your blood glucose, such as types of food, exercise, schedule, stress or sleep.
2. Review and compare more results at similar times among different days or among similar activities by tapping the "Health" button at the bottom of the app screen. You can see your results in a graph format by tapping on any of the values.
3. If your blood glucose levels are usually high after you eat the same food, you may want to reduce the carbohydrate in that meal to a smaller portion next time, or change the carbohydrate to a more stable, higher fiber option.
4. If your blood glucose levels are stable and in normal range after a certain exercise, you may want to participate in this exercise regularly.
5. Ask your healthcare provider when you should call him/her to report your out of range results.

Hopefully this post clears up some confusion about how to use your glucose results to control your diabetes. If you have any questions, ask your care team! They're here to help!