Let's Talk About Blood Glucose Numbers

01

Let’s talk about blood glucose numbers As part of our Glyco Leap program, we send out an Accu-Chek Glucometer to every one of our users to help them monitor their blood glucose levels. Monitoring is a great habit to get into, by doing so you will know if your blood glucose levels are within the healthy range. This will allow you to make great decisions when it comes to your health.

How checking your blood glucose levels can help you: • You will learn when your levels are great or not so great • You will know when you are having episodes of hypoglycaemia • You will understand how food and drinks affect your blood glucose • You will understand how exercise affects your blood glucose levels • Studies have shown, that keeping blood glucose levels in a healthy range, can prevent the long term complications of diabetes

The information you get from doing this is not to simply give to your doctor, this information is for you! Knowledge is power. It will make it easier for you to make smart choices and self manage your diabetes.

02 Monitoring your blood glucose levels needs to become a regular part of your routine. You might choose to do it around breakfast, lunch or dinner to give you a good idea of your blood glucose levels at various times of the day. Take a look at our suggested monitoring schedule below.

MON

Pre breakfast

Post breakfast

Test

Test

Pre lunch

Post lunch

Test

Test

Pre evening Post evening meal meal

Pre bed

TUE WED THU FRI

Test

Test

SAT SUN

What should my numbers be? • When you wake up in the morning, fasting or before meals: less than 7mmol/L(126mg/dl) • 2 hours after meals: less than 10mmol/L (180mg/dl)

Test

03

What if my levels are not where I would like. If my levels are high after meals If your blood glucose levels are high after meals, it is useful to think back on what you ate and drank in the hours before. Sometimes, a simple switch to a sugar-free drink, a smaller portion of carbohydrate or an increase in activity can reduce your blood glucose levels the next time you have the meal. It is a good idea to continue monitoring your blood glucose so that you can see the effect of the changes you make. For example: DAY 1 For breakfast, you have oats and 1 slice of bread. It’s a healthy breakfast but your blood glucose levels increase.

DAY 2 The next day, you have just the oats with no bread. You have reduced your carbohydrate and when you monitor your blood glucose level, it is in target.

With this, you can reduce the frequency of testing around breakfast and focus on your next meal for improvement (e.g. lunch). Try this out to better understand the impact of certain foods on your glucose levels!

If my levels are high when I wake up There can be many reasons for a high glucose level on waking. Sometimes it's related to the meals or snacks the day before, or medication amounts and timings. Another possible cause for high glucose levels on waking is the dawn phenomenon. The dawn phenomenon is related to the natural overnight release of certain hormones in our body, which cause our blood glucose levels to increase.

04 We suggest logging your food intake and blood glucose regularly for a few days, especially before bedtime and after waking up in the morning. With the information gathered, you can have a good discussion with your doctor or diabetes nurse - who may adjust your medication doses. Avoiding carbohydrates at bedtime can also help.

If my levels are low Sometimes your blood glucose levels may be low (hypoglycemia, or 'hypo' for short) If it is less than 4mmol/L, and you're feeling unwell (sweating, giddiness, tremors, anxiety), you should take a serving of fast-acting carbohydrates immediately such as 1/2 cup of regular soda or fruit juice. Recheck your glucose levels every 15 minutes till it returns to a normal range. It is important to think about the cause of the hypo and how you can prevent it from happening again e.g. did you do unplanned activity or did you have less carbohydrate than usual. Speak with your healthcare professional if these episodes happen regularly.

https://glycoleap.com

www.g lyco leap .co m