Blood Glucose Meter Frequently Asked Questions

How is blood sugar measured?
There are two types of blood sugar tests, the hemoglobin A1c test and the blood-glucose test. The A1c test is done by a doctor and shows a person's blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. Blood-glucose tests are done by individuals using blood glucose meters, and are often done many times a day. These tests measure blood sugar at the time of the test and help to determine long-term trends and how the individual responds to different foods, amounts of activity, and diabetes medication.

What is a blood glucose meter?
A blood glucose meter is a small device that is used to measure the amount of glucose in the blood. By tracking this glucose information, individuals with diabetes can find out how their diet, exercise patterns and medication affect their blood glucose levels.

How does a blood glucose meter work?
With a typical glucose meter, a small sample of blood is placed on a test strip which is then placed into the meter. These test strips are coated with special chemicals that react with the glucose in the blood. The meters then measure the amount of glucose present, either by measuring the amount of electricity that can pass through the blood or the amount of light reflected by it.

How do I choose a blood glucose meter?
There are literally dozens of meters on the market today, and each of them has characteristics that separate them from their competition (see our glucose meter comparison chart.) When making the decision on which glucose meter to buy, there are many factors to consider, such as:

The amount of blood needed for each glucose test
The size of the meter (especially if you have to take it with you)
How many test results it can store
How fast it can preform the glucose test
The cost of the meter itself
The cost of the test strips (a cheap or free meter with expensive test strips will cost more in the long run)

Many advancements have been made in glucose meter technology in the last couple of years, and many blood glucose meters can track multiple tests and even upload the data to your computer for long-term tracking.

When should I test?
When to test using a blood glucose meter mainly depends on what information you are trying to gather.

To check how eating effects your blood glucose levels, then generally you would test first thing in the morning and before and after eating.
To test how exercise affects you, a test is generally done before the start of physical activity. This test is sometimes done to make sure that your levels are not too low that exercise could be dangerous.
It is often also common to test around the time you take your medication, to make sure that the blood glucose levels you are working to achieve are being met.

Your individual glucose testing schedule is something that should be discussed with your health care professional.