Glucose testing

An important part of your treatment will be making sure your blood glucose level is as normal and stable as possible.

You will be able to manage this using insulin treatment and by eating a healthy diet, but you'll also have to regularly check your blood glucose levels to make sure they are not too high or too low.

Exercise, illness, stress, drinking alcohol, taking other medicines and (for women) changes to hormone levels during the menstrual cycle can all affect your blood glucose levels.

In most cases, you'll need to check your blood glucose levels at home using a simple finger prick blood test. You may need to do this up to four or more times a day, depending on the type of insulin treatment you are taking. Your diabetes care team will talk to you about your ideal blood glucose level.