Wednesday, January 4, 2017

How to Make Blood Sugar Checks a Habit

I would say that the most failed task a person with diabetes does is likely checking their blood sugar often.  I am guilty of this.  There are days that I am checking fairly often and other days where I am surprised at how little I bothered to check...i.e maybe once a day.  It's an awful habit to not check your blood sugar because while we are type 1's feel as though we have an innate knowing of what our blood sugars are without checking, sometimes we can be really wrong, which could lead to a whole slew of issues.

Living with type 1 diabetes for almost 8 years now, I've come to the understanding that there are some key things that make me check more.   I can tell you that FEAR is not one of them. Although fear can encourage checking more I don't think it's a sustainable way to promote frequent healthy blood sugar checks.    Instead here is the one thing that keeps me motivated to checking my blood sugar and make it a sustainable habit.  Although this does seem to help, this is not a surefire way to be 'perfect,'  I still find myself slacking on occasion.

  • keep your meter closer to you

This is key for me. If my meter is in my purse downstairs, and I am upstairs, chances of me going downstairs, digging through my purse to find my meter is low.  Having my meter close by promotes more blood sugar checks simply because it's close to me and in visible range to where I am.  I almost feel guilty seeing it sit there while I enjoy a snack, because I know it's purpose and I know I am supposed to be using it.

There may be barriers as to why someone is not checking frequently, such as access. So I believe that the frequency in which you test should suit your needs and goals.  If you can only afford to check twice a day it is better than none. If you can afford to check multiple times during the day, and that makes you happy (and not stressed) than do that.   For myself, I check between 3 - 7 times a day on average depending on the activities I have done, the food I have ate, and mood that I am in.   What works for one person, isn't always going to work for the next.  But, I am a firm believer in having my meter close by, in order to test more often! 

Kayla

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