When is the best time to test fasting blood sugar?

Anyone who has experience in measuring blood sugar knows that it is necessary to measure blood sugar on an empty stomach. This is because if you have just eaten, the blood sugar in your body will usually be at a relatively high level due to food digestion. The blood sugar level measured at this time does not represent the true value and is not advisable. Therefore, you must measure blood sugar on an empty stomach and choose the best time to measure blood sugar so that the measurement will be more accurate.

The best time to test blood sugar on an empty stomach:

When it comes to measuring blood sugar, the most familiar requirement is fasting. Fasting blood sugar refers to the blood sugar level after fasting for 8 to 12 hours the night before. It is generally more accurate when measured before 8 o'clock in the morning after getting up.

Of course, fasting blood sugar does not include blood sugar before lunch and dinner. It can more accurately diagnose the blood sugar level in the patient's body. It is an important indicator to measure pancreatic function and one of the criteria for diagnosing diabetes. It can also reflect how well the medications used the night before controlled blood sugar throughout the night and even in the early morning.

Normal fasting blood sugar value: 3.9 mmol/L ≤ blood sugar ≤ 6.0 mmol/L.

Is it enough to just monitor fasting blood sugar?

no.

Many diabetic patients think that they only need to monitor their fasting blood sugar regularly, which is incorrect. Fasting blood sugar only reflects the basic blood sugar condition of diabetic patients, and the main factor affecting the patient's blood sugar is the three meals a day in daily life.

In fact, poor blood sugar control after eating is more harmful. This is because fasting blood sugar is only the blood sugar value in the morning, and people must have three meals a day for work and life, and rely on food to provide energy. The adverse effects of continued high blood sugar after three meals far exceed the temporary high blood sugar at breakfast. Therefore, when checking fasting blood sugar, you should also check your blood sugar level after meals.

The best time to measure blood sugar is 2 hours after a meal

2-hour postprandial blood sugar refers to the blood sugar level 2 hours after a meal, starting from the first bite of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so it is more accurate to measure it 2 hours after a meal.

Blood glucose 2 hours after a meal mainly reflects the reserve function of the patient's insulin β cells, as well as the comprehensive efficacy of diet control and drug treatment. Measuring blood sugar 2 hours after a meal can help in the early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, because many early diabetic patients do not have high fasting blood sugar. However, because their insulin secretion function has been damaged, they respond poorly to high sugar stimulation, thus showing a significant increase in blood sugar after a meal.

Normal blood sugar level 2 hours after a meal: 4.4 mmol/L ≤ blood sugar ≤ 7.8 mmol/L.