Checking your blood sugar levels is a really important part of taking care of diabetes.
Why? Because knowing what those levels are will help you keep your blood sugar under
control — something that helps you feel good and keeps you healthy.
Most kids with diabetes check their blood
sugar levels before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner, and then again at
bedtime. Some kids need to check more often. Your doctor will let you and your parents
know when and how often you need to do your checks. You also might need to check your
blood sugar during exercise and when you're sick.
You might wonder why checks are needed in these situations. It's because food,
medicine, exercise, and illness all can affect blood sugar levels. Your doctor will
tell you and your parents what to do if any of these affect your glucose levels.
The Daily Routine
You probably have a routine for checking your blood sugar levels. You might stick
with that plan for a long time. But if something changes — like you get sick
or join the soccer team — you'll probably have to check more often.
People who use an insulin pump or who need to control their blood sugar levels
very closely also need to check their levels more often. Sometimes your mom or dad
might wake you up in the middle of the night to check your blood sugar levels. You
probably won't even remember it the next day! They're just checking to make sure your
level isn't getting too low or too high while you're sleeping.
How Does It Work?
Blood sugar levels can be tested at home or at school using a blood glucose meter,
which is a computerized device that measures the amount of glucose in a sample of
your blood and displays it on a screen.
To get a sample of your blood, a small needle called a lancet is used to poke the
skin (usually on a finger or on your arm) to get one drop of blood. The drop of blood
is placed on a testing strip that goes into the blood glucose meter. Within a few
seconds, the blood glucose reading appears on a screen.
When you're first diagnosed with diabetes, your mom or dad may help you test your
blood sugar levels and keep track of the results. As you get older, you'll learn how
to use the blood glucose meter and keep track of your blood sugar levels on your own.
You or your doctor may want to get an even closer look at how your blood sugar
levels change throughout the day and night. Wearable devices that measure blood sugar
levels every 5 minutes are available. They let you download a computer printout of
your blood sugar profile so you, your parents, and your doctor can look at it.