Blood glucose is the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. For people with diabetes, the amount of sugar in their blood is too high most of the time. If you have diabetes, your healthcare team can help you determine a blood sugar target level and testing pattern that’s best for you.

The A1C is a blood test ordered by your doctor that provides an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. This can be used to help your healthcare team set targets for you and monitor your progress. Generally, people with diabetes have an A1C target of 7.0% or less. This video from the Canadian Diabetes Association can help you learn more about the A1C.

Checking your blood sugar level at home helps you know how you are doing compared to your target, at any given time. Your blood sugar level is always changing and is affected by many factors including: what you ate, if you were physically active, your sleep patterns, your stress level, and your medications-- to name just a few! Keeping on top of your levels and reflecting on how your day-to-day changes impact your blood sugar is very important to managing your diabetes. By effective monitoring, you can help protect yourself from the dangers of having your blood sugar level go too high or too low, and can help prevent complications. The links below house great tips, tricks, and tools to help you meet your goals.

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