Optimal Blood Sugar Management: Timing Your Checks like a Pro

Have you ever noticed that many of us mainly check our fasting blood sugar and overlook other times? It's a common pattern, especially for those not using insulin. But there’s a caveat: our blood sugar levels fluctuate throughout the day, rising and falling like a gentle waveBy checking at different times, we can better understand these patterns and make informed choices.

Stick with me as we explore common times during the day to check blood sugar, target ranges, what ranges mean, and what to do to improve.

There are 5 types of blood sugar: fasting, pre-meal, post–meal, paired, and bedtime blood sugar.

1. Fasting Blood Sugar

Target Range: 80 to 130 mg/dL.

What it Means: If your levels often stray from this range, it indicates that you might need to make adjustments to your diet and/or exercise routines. It is possible that your dinner and nighttime snacking habits need adjusting, you need to get more exercise, you did not sleep well, or you have hormonal imbalances like Dawn Phenomenon or Somoygi Effect, both which can cause fasting blood sugar to spike.

What to Do To Improve:

1. Think MyPlate! Try to avoid heavy late-night munching, but don't skip dinner either. Overeating can send your blood sugar skyrocketing, especially if your body's insulin response is insufficient to manage the excess glucose. We call it insulin resistance.
2. Get moving for 150 minutes each week, and throw in some strength-training sessions 2 to 3 times. When you exercise, your muscles require more glucose for energy. To meet this demand, your body becomes more sensitive to insulin, allowing it to transport glucose from the bloodstream into the cells more effectively. This helps lower blood sugar levels.
3. Avoid mid-day naps if you suspect they may disturb your nighttime sleep Practice relaxation techniques throughout the day and before bed instead
4. Monitor your blood sugar at home and discuss your readings with your doctor during visits. They can adjust your medications based on your readings and your unique lifestyle.

2. Pre-Meal Blood Sugar

Target Range: 80 to 130 mg/dL.

What it Means: Did you just eat something and it hasn't been 1 to 2 hours? Your digestive system might still be working to lower your blood sugar in the bloodstream.But if this is consistent, it may be a sign that your meal choices or portion sizes need some modification. Pay extra attention to the snacks or meals that you just had. Having consistently high pre-meal blood sugar levels for more than 2 meals may indicate that your blood sugar is consistently high.Higher pre-meal blood sugar levels are a sign that lifestyle and medication adjustments are likely warranted.

What to Do To Improve:

1. Similar to improving your fasting blood sugar, the key is to focus on eating healthy, staying active, and monitoring your blood sugar.

3. Post-Meal Blood Sugar

Target Range: <180 mg/dL 2 hours after the first bite of the meal.

What it Means: If your levels consistently spike above this range, consider adjusting the   composition of the meal that you just had or incorporating physical activity after eating to encourage glucose uptake by the muscles.

What to Do To Improve:

1. Next time you have a meal like the one you just had, try cutting back on carbs or adding more veggies to prevent blood sugar spikes.
2. After eating, get moving! Take a post-meal walk to help your body digest what you just ate better.

4. Paired Blood Sugar

Target Range: The difference between pre- and post-readings should be < 50 mg/L.

What it Means: If you consistently notice a difference of more than 50 mg/dL between your paired blood sugar readings, consider it a learning opportunity to tweak a similar meal next time.

What to Do To Improve:

1. Similar to improving your post-meal blood sugar, try cutting back on carbs or adding more fiber-rich veggies to your plate.
2. Checking both pre- and post-meal blood sugar gives you a better picture. Imagine if my blood sugar after eating is 200 mg/dL and before it's 80 mg/dL. This tells me I need to tweak my diet. But if my before-meal reading is 160 mg/dL and after it's still 200 mg/dL, the meal is okay. It means my starting blood sugar is high, so I may need meds or lifestyle changes to improve it.

5. Bedtime Blood Sugar

Target Range: 90 to 150 mg/dL.

What it Means: Having your blood sugar lower than this range might lead to hypoglycemia overnight, which can be dangerous; having your blood sugar higher than this range suggests you might have had a little too much to eat before bed.

What to Do To Improve:

1. If your blood sugar drops below the target range, grab a snack with around 15 grams of carbs to get it back up and prevent overnight hypoglycemia. Sleeping through a hypoglycemic episode can be risky because your body might not notice and respond to low blood sugar levels. Without help, it could lead to loss of consciousness, seizures, and even coma.
2. And remember, try not to have big meals or high-carb snacks right before bed. They can cause nighttime high blood sugar, messing up your sleep and leaving you feeling tired and cranky the next day.

Takeaways

By regularly checking your blood sugar and timing it right, you'll uncover valuable insights into how your body responds to food, exercise, and medications. And remember, your care team—us—is always here to support you! Drop us a message so we can tailor a monitoring schedule that suits you best and answer any questions you may have!