How long after a meal should you measure blood sugar? What is the best time to measure blood sugar?

There are more and more diabetic patients nowadays, which has a lot to do with daily diet. Diabetes is very harmful and can be fatal. Therefore, the most important thing for diabetic patients is to test blood sugar, especially blood sugar after meals.

1. When is the best time to test blood sugar?

1. Fasting blood sugar. Generally choose to check between 6 and 8 in the morning. It mainly reflects the basal level of insulin secretion by the patient's own pancreatic islet cells in the absence of a glucose load, as well as the control of blood sugar throughout the night by the medications used the night before. Control of fasting blood sugar is very important for patients who use hypoglycemic drugs for a long time. However, for patients with early or mild diabetes, even if the fasting blood sugar is lower than 7.0 mmol/L, they should pay attention to the blood sugar level 2 hours after a meal.

2. Blood sugar before meals. Measure before lunch or dinner. It can be used as a basis for evaluating the condition and adjusting drug dosage during treatment.

Blood sugar 2 hours after 3 meals. Check blood sugar 2 hours after eating. It mainly reflects the ability of pancreatic islet cells to secrete insulin after a meal, as well as the combined effect of diet and drug treatment.

4. Blood sugar before bed. Measuring blood sugar before bed can guide nighttime medication dosage and avoid nocturnal hypoglycemia.

5. Blood sugar at 3 am. It is possible to distinguish whether high fasting blood sugar is caused by the dawn phenomenon or the Somogyi phenomenon. If the blood sugar level is lower than 3.6 mmol/L at this time, hypoglycemia may occur at night.

2. So, what should you pay attention to when measuring blood sugar?

1. It is best to collect the second drop of blood. The first drop of blood may be contaminated with other substances and affect the reading. For example, peeling fruit or drinking juice from a cup before measuring blood sugar will make the blood sugar value higher. In addition, the amount of the first drop of blood is too small. If there is not much bleeding after pricking the finger, the blood glucose meter often cannot accurately display the reading; if you squeeze the finger hard, the tissue fluid and blood will be mixed, resulting in a low blood sugar value.

2. Make preparations before testing. Avoid strenuous exercise, smoking and drinking stimulant beverages before blood drawing. Before measuring blood sugar, let your arms hang down for 10 seconds, or shake or rub your hands for half a minute to allow the blood vessels at the fingertips to fill. People who are afraid of pain can draw blood from the side of their finger, which will not be so painful. In addition, you need to wash your hands first, otherwise it will increase the chance of infection and the blood sugar value may be higher due to the sugar content on your hands; if it is inconvenient to wash your hands before measuring blood sugar, you can wipe your fingertips with alcohol and let them dry for 5 to 10 seconds before drawing blood.

3. Pay attention to the testing time. The best time to test fasting blood sugar is between 6 and 7 in the morning, when patients often have not eaten all night; but if blood is drawn on an empty stomach after 9 o'clock, the accuracy of fasting blood sugar will be lost. The best time to test postprandial blood sugar is 2 hours after a meal, because the peak of postprandial blood sugar often occurs 2 hours after a meal. Measuring blood sugar at midnight and 3 a.m. can identify the cause of fasting hyperglycemia, because both insulin deficiency and excessive insulin dosage at night can cause fasting hyperglycemia.

4. Don’t ignore glycated hemoglobin. Glycated hemoglobin reflects the average blood sugar level in the past three months, and finger blood sugar reflects the blood sugar at the "point in time" when the blood sugar is measured. Diabetic patients cannot just measure blood sugar on their fingertips, but also need to regularly measure glycosylated hemoglobin and monitor other metabolic indicators such as blood lipids and uric acid to comprehensively assess the patient's diabetes control status.

5. Daily medication should continue as usual. To ensure the authenticity and reliability of the test results, patients undergoing diabetes treatment should eat and take medications as usual one day before the test. They should not stop taking hypoglycemic drugs without authorization, otherwise the test results will not accurately reflect the condition and will cause blood sugar fluctuations and aggravate the condition.