Because of the nature of diabetes and its short- and long-term complications, it's important that you have a constant awareness of the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. In fact, a "Blood Glucose Monitoring" (BGM) program is an essential part of any diabetes management plan.

Blood Glucose Monitoring Guides Your Diabetes Care Plan

Monitoring your blood sugar will tell you how your body is responding to certain foods, activities, and medications, and will help you manage your meal and exercise plans. With the data you get from monitoring, you and your doctor can:

• Identify trends in your glucose levels
  
  
• Identify factors that may cause high or low glucose levels
  
  
• Evaluate the impact of food, activity, and medications on your diabetes
  
  
• Identify where changes in the treatment plan are needed
  
  
• Decide what you need to do when you are sick
  
  
• Confirm whether or not the feelings you have are the result of low or high blood glucose or if it is something unrelated to your diabetes.
  

Six steps to proper monitoring

1. Know your blood sugar target
   
   
2. Learn how to check your glucose
   
   
3. Decide when to check your glucose levels
   
   
4. Identify glucose patterns
   
   
5. Determine what causes blood glucose changes
   
   
6. Decide what to do to get your blood glucose levels back on target