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Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
(502) 564-7996
The Finger-Stick Test: For Testing Your Own Blood Sugar Using A Blood Glucose Meter
A finger-stick test is a simple test you can do using a blood glucose meter to check changes in your own blood sugar (glucose). The finger-stick test tells you what your blood sugar is at the time you test.
Self-testing helps you see how food, physical activity, and diabetes medicine affect your blood sugar. The readings you get from these tests can help you manage your diabetes day by day or even hour by hour. Keep a record of your test results and review it with your health care provider.
Ideal goals for most people with diabetes when self-testing using a blood glucose meter are:
Whole Blood Values*
Before meals 80-120
One to two hours after meals - less than 180
Plasma Values*
Before meals 90-130
One to two hours after meals - less than 170
*Check in your meter instruction booklet or with your meter company to see if your meter reads "whole blood" or "plasma" values.
Your blood sugar goals may be different from these ideal goals. Ask your health care provider what goals are best for you.
Finger-stick tests are usually done before meals and/or at bedtime. Sometimes your health care provider may want you to check your blood sugar at a certain length of time after a meal. You should also check your blood sugar when you experience signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Signs of hypoglycemia may include fast heartbeat, feeling shaky, anxious, or dizzy, having numbness or tingling around the lips or fingertips, being sweaty, hungry, tired, and/or weak, and having a headache. You may not have all of the symptoms or you may have some different ones and they may vary from one episode to the next. Ask your health care provider how often to test your blood sugar.
If you test your own blood sugar using a blood glucose meter, you still need the A1C test. The results of each test will tell you and your health care provider whether your blood sugar is under control. Talk to your health care provider about how often you need each test.
For more information on the finger-stick test and the A1C test, refer to the National Diabetes Education Program's brochure If You Have Diabetes, Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers.