what am i looking for in BS levels after meals?

[Carina1962]

I have yet another question, when i have my main meals i understand that i need to test 2 hours after finishing my meal. What exactly am i looking for in the BS readings during the 2 hours? i know what my level should be after 2 hours of eating but if say i test after half an hour or maybe an hour, the reading will inevitably be high (i don't want to scare myself!) but when people talk of 'spikes' what does this mean and what should i be looking at?

 

[sofaraway]

Duk says that for a type 2 you should be below 8.5mmol at 2 hours after eating.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Carina, what you are looking for is trying to catch the highest point of your levels after eating. This will require experimentation, as some food combinations may send your levels higher sooner and some later. It is suggested that you try testing at one hour, then two hours on meals you have regularly, so you can determine whether your levels are still rising at two hours, or declining at that point.

Ideally, you don't want to go much above the 8.5 at any point, as this is considered a 'spike' - higher than a non-diabetic would go. With insulin users, we try to get the insulin peak to coincide with the highest rise in glucose due to digestion - which can be very tricky!. It helps to eat foods that release their glucose slowly, so there is a more even rise and fall, rather than a very rapid rise. Low GI foods are best for achieving this.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[wallycorker]

Hi,

As a non-insulin dependent Type 2 myself, once I'd got reasonable control two hours after eating I then started testing to try to find the peak results by testing at shorter intervals - e.g. one hour, ninety minutes etc.

Personally, I found that my peaks usually come around one hour after eating for most meal types - but some meals take longer. I've read that it is the same as that for a lot of other diabetics too.

These days, I usually test one hour after eating and started off trying to keep those results below 8 - i.e. basically, out of double figures. As I manage to achieve one target then quite simply I try to maintain an even lower level. At present, I'm aiming to keep my one hour after readings below 7 and doing quite well with that too.

My advice would be not to get too stressed by any such testing regime. However, just simply keep setting yourself tighter targets and try to get better and better control of your blood glucose levels. In the longer term, it is well worth the effort from anything that I have read.

Best wishes - John

 

[Carina1962]

thanks for the advice, i will now try and test one hour and then 2 hrs to find out what is going on, there really is a lot to learn about diabetes - am finding new things out all the time, thank goodness we have these boards on here and get the education otherwise i don't know what we would do 🙂

 

[wallycorker]

thanks for the advice, i will now try and test one hour and then 2 hrs to find out what is going on, there really is a lot to learn about diabetes - am finding new things out all the time, thank goodness we have these boards on here and get the education otherwise i don't know what we would do 🙂

I agree Carina! It took me eight and a half years to arrive on these forums. I certainly wish I'd arrived here earlier!

As regards testing to identify peaks, you might receive a few shocks initially. However, just don't get anxious about thing - simply try to work out what caused the levels that seem too high and then make adjustments to your diet to eliminate them in future.

Good luck - John