Veterans With Diabetes International

Testing: How Much Is Enough?

Testing your blood glucose isn't exactly fun. You might be wondering how you can cut back, or test yourself as seldom as possible while staying within your target range.

The number of times you test depends on the type of diabetes you have. Most people with type 1 diabetes and people with type 2 who require insulin need to test their blood glucose four times a day, before each meal and at bedtime, to allow them to adjust their premeal insulin dose.

People with type 2 diabetes may need to test only before breakfast each day. Occasionally, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should test their blood glucose two to three hours after a meal (called postprandial testing) to find out whether it is too high, or in the middle of the night to see whether it is too low.

If so, the amount of food, exercise, or medication may need to be adjusted. All people with diabetes should test their blood glucose any time they think it may be too high or too low. The symptoms of being high or low may be similar, or these symptoms may not be due to blood glucose at all!