Most blood sugar meters remember their readings, and plenty of people use an app. A paper log is still what many families keep: the CDC says that if you prefer not to use a phone, you can keep a written record. It shows a whole week at a glance, anyone in the house can read it, and it holds the notes a meter can't. This log is made for the person checking and for the family member who helps, in large print.
What's in the free file
- One week on one page, Monday to Sunday, with a Before row and an After row for each day: 14 rows in all.
- Columns for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so each meal has a box before and a box after.
- A bedtime box for each day, one tall box across the day's two rows.
- Four lines at the top: the person's name, the week, "Target set by my doctor", and Units.
- Large print. The title is 26 point, the lines at the top 18 point, and the days and the Before and After labels 16 point bold.
- Fill-in fields. Type into every line and box before you print, in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print it blank and write by hand.
- No pictures, no ranges and no meal plans: a blank form only.
- Sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files.
What goes in each box?
| Part of the log | What to write |
|---|---|
| Day and date | The date, on the line under the printed day |
| Before or After | Already printed: the Before row is for a reading before that meal, the After row for one after it |
| Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | The reading, as the meter shows it, in the box for that meal and that row |
| Bedtime | A reading taken at bedtime, one for each day |
| Target set by my doctor | The target the person's doctor gave them, written exactly as the doctor wrote it, or left blank |
| Units | mg/dL or mmol/L, whichever the meter shows |
Most people check at only some of these times. Fill in the boxes for the checks you do, and leave the rest blank. The log has room for every meal so that it fits whatever schedule the person's doctor or nurse gave them.
How to fill in the log
- Fill in the name, the units and the target first. Copy the units from the meter's screen. If the doctor gave a target, write it exactly as they did; if not, leave the line blank.
- Write the week at the top, and the date under each day as the week goes along.
- Check the way the doctor or nurse showed you, then write the number in the box for that meal: the Before row if it was before eating, the After row if it was after.
- Write the number exactly as the meter shows it, with no rounding.
- Leave a box blank if no check was done, rather than filling in a guess.
- Write anything different on the back or in the margin: a check at an unusual time, a missed meal, a second reading, a new meter. The NIDDK suggests noting what you ate or what physical activity you did that day.
- Start a new page each week, keep the pages together, newest on top, and take them to every appointment.
What do the CDC and the NIDDK say about keeping a record?
Both publish guidance for people who check their blood sugar at home. In short:
- When and how often is the doctor's call. The CDC says your doctor will tell you when and how often to check.
- Write down more than the number. The NIDDK says to keep a record of each self-check, with the date and time, the result, and other information such as what you ate or what activity you did that day.
- Paper or app, both count. The NIDDK says a chart or a smartphone app can help you keep track, and the CDC says you can keep a written record if you prefer not to use a phone.
- Take it with you. The NIDDK says to take the record when you visit your health care team.
The CDC also suggests having someone else learn to use the meter, in case you're sick and can't check yourself. If that someone is a family member, the log is where their readings go too.
Who keeps a blood sugar log?
- The person themselves, when their doctor or nurse asks them to check at home and bring the readings.
- A family caregiver who does the checks for a parent or a partner, and shows the page at appointments.
- A home aide, who writes readings in the same place each visit, so the family can see the week at a glance.
- Several people at once. When checks are shared, add your initials next to a reading on the back or in the margin.
Paper log or the meter's memory?
Many meters store readings, and the CDC notes that most save your results for you and your health care team. A paper log is useful alongside it. It shows the meals beside the numbers, it holds notes the meter can't, and a page can be read across a kitchen table. If two people in a house use the same meter, a paper log keeps their readings apart.
What this log is not
It is a blank form. It does not say whether a reading is high, low or fine, and it has no chart of ranges on purpose: what the numbers mean for one person, and what to do about them, is for their own doctor or nurse. The target line is for the number their doctor gives them.
Our full Large-Print Blood Sugar Log adds the same week starting on Sunday, a My numbers page for the targets, the meter and results from appointments, an undated log, a month on two pages, a page for blood sugar and blood pressure together, and a notes page.
A blood sugar log is one of the printable forms for family caregivers that families keep together in one binder. If the doctor asked for home blood pressure readings too, our free large-print blood pressure log has the same layout, with a morning and an evening row each day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fill in a blood sugar log?
Write the date under the day, then write each reading in the box for that meal: the Before row for a check before eating and the After row for a check after. Bedtime readings go in the bedtime box. Write the number exactly as the meter shows it.
How often should blood sugar be checked?
That is for the person's own doctor or nurse to say. The CDC says your doctor will tell you when and how often to check. Our log has a box before and after every meal and at bedtime, so it fits whatever schedule they give.
What units go on the log, mg/dL or mmol/L?
Whichever the meter shows on its screen. Write the units once at the top of the page, so anyone reading the log knows which one it is, and copy the readings in the same units.
Does the log show normal blood sugar ranges?
No. It is a blank form for writing readings down. What a reading means for one person is for their own doctor or nurse, and the log has a line for the target their doctor set.
Where can I get a free blood sugar log?
Doctor Carissa's free log is a large-print PDF in US Letter and A4, sent by email: one week with before and after rows for each meal and a bedtime box. The American Diabetes Association and the CDC each publish a free log as a PDF too.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on October 23, 2026.
- Managing Diabetes, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). You can check your blood glucose at home with a meter; keep a record of your self-checks, including the date and time, the results, and other information such as what you ate or what physical activity you did that day; a chart or a smartphone app can help; take this information with you when you visit your health care team.
- Monitoring Your Blood Sugar, CDC. Your doctor will tell you when and how often to check your blood sugar; most meters save your results; if you prefer not to use a phone, you can keep a written record; track and record your results, with notes about anything that might have affected a reading; have someone else learn to use your meter too.
- Blood Glucose Log (PDF), American Diabetes Association. A free weekly log with before-meal and after-meal columns for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a column for insulin or medicines at each meal, snack and bedtime columns, a time line and a notes line for each day.
- Blood Sugar Log (PDF), CDC (Your Diabetes Compass). A free one-page log with columns for the date, the time, the level and notes.
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