Diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough of a hormone called insulin. Insulin works to pull sugar out of the blood. As a result, patients with diabetes have elevated blood sugar levels. In order to determine how well their diabetes is being controlled, most diabetics need to regularly measure their blood sugar.
Goals
As MayoClinic.com explains, patients with diabetes should aim for their blood sugar numbers to fall in certain ranges, indicating that their diabetes is well controlled. Before meals patients should have blood sugar numbers between 70 and 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or between 4 to 7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). One to two hours after a meal the blood sugar levels should be below 180 mg/dL, or less than 10 mmol/L.
Frequency
The frequency with which blood sugar needs to be tested for diabetes depends on the type of diabetes and how well it is being controlled. Patients with type 1 diabetes often need to check their blood sugar levels more than three times per day in order to make sure that their blood sugar levels do not get too high or low. Patients with type 2 diabetes may only need to test their blood sugar between one and three times per day.
Testing Methods
Depending on the type of blood glucose monitoring that the patient uses, he may receive his blood glucose numbers using a digital readout (when a blood glucose monitor is used) or as a range (when color-changing glucose strips are used). Because the exact blood glucose numbers may vary from day to day, neither method is better and it is more a matter of the patient's personal preference.
A1C Measurements
Hemoglobin A1C is a blood test measurement which, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Diabetes Education Program, reflects blood glucose levels over the past three months. This sort of test requires a blood sample that is sent to a lab, which measures and quantitates the amount of hemoglobin (the protein that binds to oxygen in the blood) that has been converted to the A1C form, which happens as a result of contact with dissolved sugar in the blood.
A1C Levels
Normal hemoglobin A1C levels are less than seven, so this should be the goal for most diabetics. Having numbers higher than seven indicates that for the previous three months blood sugar has been, on average, higher than it should be. This means that the patient is at a higher risk of developing eye and circulatory problems as a result of high blood sugar.
