Checking sugar levels

PrimaveraEterna007

When do you check your sugar levels after a meal .? How sugar levels need to be after a 1 hr or 2 hrs.? Fasting?. Another question,,,,, when you check your sugar after a meal... Do you check it a hour after you start eating o a hour after you are done eating?.

Thanks

travisseger

I check mine two hours after starting the meal, which is what seems to be the most widely agreed upon time to check. According to most literature on the subject, you want your 2-hour levels to be below 140, your fasting levels below 110, and your random levels between 80-120. If you can accomplish that, you are doing very well. Personally, I do what I can to keep my fasting and random levels below 100, and my 2-hour levels below 120.

JaceyMarieS

Here's a good article to get you started.

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/test-review-adjust.html

I started by determining my peak - testing before a meal and then every 15 minutes after meals to determine at what time my BG was highest. I peak about 45 minutes after meals. I strive to have a peak of no more than 20-30 points, which takes me to about 120.

At first, I also tested 2 hours after meals to make sure I had started to come back down and then before the next meal to ensure I was back into "normal range"

texasgal22

I test periodically but i tested as well to find my peak times and it is usually between 30 and 45 minutes...so dependent on what you eat as well and whether you are on any medication which I am not...yet

PrimaveraEterna007

Thank you for answering my question. And congratulations on your weight loss

BigG59

Nothing really to add to the above.

The accepted postprandial (did I spell that right) check is 2 hours from when you start eating.

I tried to take more readings just as KDIPIAZZ does, just to see how different foods affected me but I didn't have the discipline she does

Now my A1C is in the 5s, I just check every few days, usually a fasting check, sometimes Postprandial.

CRody44

The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1c of 7% or less, before meal blood glucose of 70–130 mg/dl and 2 hour post meal of less than 180 mg/dl. When my doctor took me off insulin, he wanted be to keep my A1c under 6 and blood glucose under 130 before breakfast and under 160, 2 hr. post dinner. I personally am trying to keep under 100 before breakfast and 140 post dinner. My last A1c was 5.9 but I’m shooting for less than 5.5.

texasgal22

The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1c of 7% or less, before meal blood glucose of 70–130 mg/dl and 2 hour post meal of less than 180 mg/dl. When my doctor took me off insulin, he wanted be to keep my A1c under 6 and blood glucose under 130 before breakfast and under 160, 2 hr. post dinner. I personally am trying to keep under 100 before breakfast and 140 post dinner. My last A1c was 5.9 but I’m shooting for less than 5.5.

It sounds like you are on the right path to me; I wish you well.

Sweets1954

I check my sugar levels twice a day, once in the morning before I eat and once after dinner. The levels I was told to shoot for are under 100 for fasting blood sugar and under 180 for after a meal. I was told to test 2 hours after beginning eating but sometimes it's a little longer before I test. I just began using insulin about 5 months ago and finally have my A1C under 7% but in the past few weeks my numbers have been creeping up again. I find that my numbers after eating are fine but then my numbers in the morning after fasting are above 100. My doctor had me change when I take my insulin to in the morning rather than in the evening because I was waking up with the a headache just about everyday. The headaches are gone but my numbers are rising.

PrimaveraEterna007

Hi everyone... I just checked my sugar after my breakfast ...and it was at 125 .... How it should be after 1 hr after breakfast ..?

Crochetluvr

Your BS reading after any meal should be about 30mg/dl higher than what it measured before you eat. If its higher, that might indicate a certain food that raises your sugar level too high and which you might want to avoid.

However, you might want to test 2 hours after you started eating instead of one hour, depending on what you Dr. recommends.

airangel59

I only test once a day, 2 hours after first bite of dinner. (I've never had a result over 140). I'm on metformin 500 mg x2. Keeping my total carbs under 141 a day. Latest A1C was 6.0%

jsiricos

I only test once a day, first thing in the morning. I have only got under 100 twice

I talked to my Dr and she said, that it was fine, but as I want perfection (I'm like that) to try a late snack or exercise.

I know when its high without testing by the way my head feels..

PrimaveraEterna007

Thanks for the advise. ...... And congratulations in your weight loss.

PrimaveraEterna007

Your BS reading after any meal should be about 30mg/dl higher than what it measured before you eat. If its higher, that might indicate a certain food that raises your sugar level too high and which you might want to avoid.

However, you might want to test 2 hours after you started eating instead of one hour, depending on what you Dr. recommends.

Thanks for the information. I don' t really check my sugar levels but since I have reading in this group how people are really educate/aware about diabetes management ... I want to take care of my self too.

I will check tomorrow again and I hope that my sugar it's ok ...thanks

claymic

I might need to review when i test after food. I usually test 2 hrs after i finish eating. What if one has a leisurely lunch or dinner? if you say spread your food over an hour...whatever food you ate last is going to effect you later than the food you ate an hour earlier?...not sure if this all makes sense!!

PrimaveraEterna007

Claymic....that's what I'm confused too. Specially when I go to buffets... You can be there for an hour.. Eating and talking.. I think that the blood sugar needs to be tested after we are done eating... But I have been reading and they are checking two hours after the first bite

PrimaveraEterna007

One more question..... What time do you eat your last meal or evening snack? In another words... How many hours do you wait in order to check your fasting blood sugar? Or when you have blood work (A1C) ? Do you wait 12 hrs fast, 10 hr fast , or 8 hrs fast?

When I had my last A1C A read a paper that said that I need to be fasting for about 12 hrs in order to have my fasting blood work... Is it's the same when I have to check it a home?

glendarednock

I check my sugar levels when I first wake up before I eat breakfest. Then 2 hours after I eat my dinner.

glendarednock

Just sorta seems like everyone does the testing levels different. My doctor told me the first thing in the morning before I eat. And she told me 2 hours after I eat my dinner. The morning number she said shouldn't be any higher than 120 and after my meal no higher than 160. I have been able to keep it under but I would rather have it even lower. I keep working on it and hopefully it will get down even more!:happy:

bdubya55

I might need to review when i test after food. I usually test 2 hrs after i finish eating. What if one has a leisurely lunch or dinner? if you say spread your food over an hour...whatever food you ate last is going to effect you later than the food you ate an hour earlier?...not sure if this all makes sense!!

Good question and one that makes perfect sense to me. Having a leisurely meal is ok, however as a diabetic, I myself wouldn't want to finish my mealtimes beyond and hour as it lends to a "grazing" effect, promoting potentially unhealthy elevated blood sugar levels between meals depending upon the foods (carbs) I ate. ETA; it's equally important to note; if on a bolus/mealtime insulin or other blood sugar lowering therapies anything beyond an hour would create an issue with "crossover" medicating.

Continue to test 2hrs after finishing as you're currently doing, and enjoy your leisurely meal imo.

Hope this helps.

LexieSweetheart

I don't check mine all that often. I;m working on that though because it def is important

djshari

It is really up to you as long as you are testing. When you first start off I think you will want to test a lot more to see how foods affect you.

For meals if you test
1 hour after that is to see how high you spike (everyone always says 1 hour after you start eating)
2 hours is to make sure you are coming back down

Some days I will test several times in the day and I will record my readings, my meals (and what times I ate), and also my exercise. It gives me a good idea of my daily ups and downs.

Other days I will only test in the morning. I try to test more if I am sick or on other meds to make sure I'm not going to high. If I just don't feel good for any reason I will check.

You want to be able to spot spikes and trends and then take corrective behavior. You always spike when you eat a certain foods? Try smaller portions or cut it out entirely. Things like that. I have already had times where I checked my sugar and didn't expect the # to be so high or so low so it's always a learning experience.