Knowing the level of glucose in your blood is useful to maintain day to day control of your diabetes, detect hypoglycaemia (abnormally low blood sugar levels), assess diabetes control during any illness, and helps to provide your healthcare team with information to alter your treatment to prevent any long-term complications from developing.

Checking your blood sugar level can tell you how well your treatment plan is working. It is a two-part process:

• Self testing of blood sugar at home gives your blood sugar level at the exact time of the test.
  Type 1 & Type 2 diabetics: Use a GlucoRx blood glucose monitoring system and see how it fast becomes a key part of your diabetes plan!
• The HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin; more of it is produced in the body by high blood glucose levels) test is done at your doctor’s office. It shows your average blood sugar over a sustained period of time, usually 90 days. The recommended goal is less than 7.0mmol/L.

The target blood glucose ranges below are indicated as a guide:

Children with Type 1 diabetes (NICE 2004)
Before meals: 4-8mmol/L
Two hours after meals: less than 10mmol/L

Adults with Type 1 diabetes (NICE 2004)
Before meals: 4-7mmol/L
2 hours after meals: less than 9mmol/L

Type 2 diabetes (NICE 2008)
Before meals: 4-7mmol/L
Two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/L