How to Prepare for the A1C Test

The A1C test measures the percentage of red blood cells that have been glycated, or had excess glucose bonded to their hemoglobin, over the 120-day life cycle of red cells. The norm is 5 percent. The count is usually done on a blood sample that's been drawn for a panel of tests, so no specific preparation is required for A1C. The better you manage your blood sugar over the four months before the test, however, following the regimen you've worked out with your doctor, the better will be your results.

Things You'll Need

• Home glucose meter, with test strips and lancets

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Monitor your blood sugar day to day, using a meter and test strips, as your doctor has prescribed. Your meter will show values of milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Especially if you are taking insulin, frequent self-testing provides the information you need to know what you can do within the 120 days covered by an A1C test to reduce the circulation of excess blood glucose, its glycation of hemoglobin, and therefore your next A1C value.

• 2

  Regulate your diet, especially your intake of carbohydrates, as your doctor has instructed, with adjustments you might have been taught to make according to preprandial (before eating) glucose testing. Remember that A1C measures the effects of excess glucose that binds to hemoglobin, not glucose that has been carried by your blood to nourish muscles and organs. You need sufficient circulating glucose to support your physical and mental activities, and having low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) can be extremely dangerous.

• 3

  Follow your doctor's instructions carefully for dosage and timing of medications. Do not attempt to adjust dosages to compensate for eating more or less than you're supposed to. Some medications, particularly injected insulin, might have immediate effects on your body's handling of sugar. The effects of most, however, especially those prescribed for Type-2 diabetics such as metformin, must be evaluated at least over the term of a day or two, by your self-monitoring with your meter. Your doctor will be looking at your A1C at your next visit to evaluate how your medications are working, and expecting that you've been taking meds consistently over the period since your prior evaluation.

• 4

  Exercise regularly, as you and your doctor have planned a regimen to improve your heart health and perhaps help you lose weight. Know the signs of hypoglycemia, especially if your exercise plan involves walking, running, bicycling or hiking to places where you can't stop if you're feeling unwell. Be sure to stay well hydrated. Carry glucose tablets, hard candy or fruit juice for quick compensation and power bars or other support foods to get back the energy to get home safely. Tell your doctor about any hypoglycemic incidents since your last visit and A1C.