What is the Accu-Chek Instant Blood Glucose Meter?
The Accu-Chek Instant system makes testing easy and understanding your results simple. This blood glucose meter provides an instant view on a large backlit display to see whether your results are high, low or in-range. The Accu-Chek Instant system even features a test strip ejector for easy, hygienic removal. You can also connect your Accu-Chek Instant system to the mySugr® app via Bluetooth for quick and easy automatic logging, clear blood glucose graphs, empowering feedback, and more.
How to test your blood sugar
Start by thoroughly washing and drying your hands. Put a compatible test strip into the blood glucose meter and prick your fingertip with a clean lancing device. Squeeze out a drop of blood and touch it with the edge of your test strip. Your meter should display a blood sugar reading in around 5 seconds. Once you’ve recorded your reading, dispose of the test strip immediately and do not reuse.
What is blood glucose monitoring?
Blood glucose monitoring is a vital part of managing diabetes for people who take certain medication like insulin or sulphonylureas. It can help you to work out when you need to eat, take more medication or for when you want to exercise. Keeping your blood glucose levels on target will help you to stay healthy and prevent serious diabetes complications in the future.
What is a healthy blood sugar level?
When testing your blood glucose levels, your target range will depend on the type of diabetes you have and whether you’re taking the test before or after eating. According to Diabetes UK, these are the target ranges to aim for:
If you’re a child with type 1 diabetes
- When you wake up and before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
- After meals: 5 to 9mmol/l
If you’re an adult with type 1 diabetes
- When you wake up and before meals: 5 to 7mmol/l
- Before meals at other times of the day: 4 to 7mmol/l
If you have type 2 diabetes
- Before meals: 4 to 7mmol/l
- Two hours after meals: less than 8.5mmol/
If you have gestational diabetes
- Fasting: below 5.3mmol/l
- One hour after meals: below 7.8mmol/l
- If you’re not able to check until two hours – rather than one hour – after a meal, you should aim for below 6.4mmol/l.
What is the best time to check blood sugar?
It’s a good idea to tie your testing times into daily events, that way, you’ll always remember to check your levels. It’s best to test your blood sugar before all three of your meals, after exercise, and before you go to sleep. It’s important to test before you eat as fasting glucose levels will give you a better, truer reading - if you forget and need to test after a meal, you should wait a couple of hours to ensure your reading is accurate.
