Benefits of Blood Sugar Testing

Testing your blood sugar can help you manage your diabetes, especially if you're having trouble controlling your levels.

It helps you see if your levels are in your target range, and it may help you avoid blood sugar emergencies or future health problems.

But those aren't the only benefits of testing.

It also helps you see how activities or things in your daily life ... like exercise, what you eat, or your stress ... can affect your blood sugar. And that can be a big plus.

[Sandra] "At first, testing seemed like a hassle.

With my busy schedule, I didn't need one more thing to worry about.

Plus, I used to get discouraged when I'd see that my numbers were high.

I didn't always know what was causing it.

But after a while, I found a good routine.

I checked about an hour after my meals.

Sometimes I'd check before and after a walk or when I did a new activity.

I could see how much my blood sugar went down with exercise or up after eating.

And it started to make sense. Those things were affecting my numbers.

That made me curious, so I started tracking my numbers in a notebook ... along with my activities, what I ate, my stress level ... and it helped me see the connections ... how things in my daily life were affecting my blood sugar.

And then I made some changes that helped me keep my numbers where I wanted them.

They weren't big things, but they made a big difference.

I watched my portions and cut down on certain foods, like eating just one piece of bread with dinner or skipping the bread sometimes.

I still enjoy my favorite cake now and then, but I take a smaller piece.

You don't have to give up everything you like or completely change how you eat.

And you don't have to be perfect.

It comes down to small, simple changes you can live with.

Testing also helps me see how stress affects my numbers.

When I get stressed out, I don't take care of myself.

I exercise less and eat more.

The worst is right after work driving in that rush hour.

The last thing I feel like doing is cooking a healthy dinner.

But seeing my numbers helped inspire me, and I found ways to deal with my stress ... like this new deep breathing technique I do at the end of the day.

And I look forward to my walks now because it's my time to unwind and clear my head.

And freezing extra meals that I can keep on hand for busy nights helps too.

The testing has gotten a lot easier too, now that I understand what the numbers mean.

It's just part of my day, like brushing my teeth.

And seeing my numbers improve ... well it's proof that the changes I've been making are worth it."

Testing doesn't have to take a lot of time and it gets easier the longer you do it.

And when you see what's affecting your numbers, you can choose to do something about it.

You may find that a few small changes can make a big difference.