Setting blood glucose targets
Normal blood glucose ranges are as follows: fasting blood glucose <6.1 millimolar per liter (mmol/L) and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose <7.8 mmol/L. Most patients have difficulty meeting the normal human standard, and the goals for different types of people are roughly as follows; please discuss with your primary care physician.
Recording daily blood glucose values
The frequency of blood glucose monitoring varies from person to person, taking into account medications, blood glucose goals, and control. It is recommended that patients with diabetes measure blood glucose four times a day: fasting, after three meals, at bedtime, and at 3 am (for those with higher fasting glucose to clarify the cause). Patients with poor blood glucose control or in the medication adjustment phase should also increase the frequency of blood glucose monitoring appropriately until their blood glucose reaches the goal, which can be changed to 1-2 days per week.
The following table can help to keep track of blood glucose.
Give regular feedback to your doctor about your blood glucose levels
After recording the blood glucose values, you can give regular feedback to your doctor at follow-up appointments, and if your blood glucose fluctuates a lot on a particular day, you can record your exercise and diet for that day. These results allow the doctor to understand how the patient’s blood glucose fluctuates and is under control, and if the blood glucose is not well controlled in the near future, the treatment plan may need to be adjusted.