Listed below are 5 different methods you can use to test your blood sugar levels. They use different approaches, but these diabetes testing methods are used for the same purpose. The best one for you is dependent on personal preference rather than anything else.
1. Blood sugar monitoring at home. This is the most commonly used method. It involves pricking your finger with a sharp needle (professionally designed for this purpose). Having done this, you then need to squeeze some blood from your finger on to a testing strip. The test trip is then inserted into a meter which displays your blood sugar level.
2. Alternative self testing. Over the years, newer meters have developed which now allow you to test body parts other than your finger tip; these include the base of your thumb, your thighs and your forearms. Despite these additional options drawing blood from your finger tips remains the most used. The reason being that the blood in your finger tips gives a more precise reading than blood in other parts of your body.
3. Blood testing by laser. In the late 90s, the Food And Drug (FDA) administration approved a meter laser device capable of extracting blood through a precise laser beam on a finger. This device was in response to the numerous complaints of discomfort and pain caused by the regular pricking of the finger. For those who are not at ease with piercing their skin with a needle, this is an ideal solution.
4. The continuous glucose monitoring system. This device involves a very small tube which is inserted under your skin. The device then collects small amounts of fluids and measures the sugar levels or content of these fluids over a 72 hour period. For people who sometimes forget, or don't always have time, to take their own samples, this underused system should be given serious consideration.
5. The 'Gluco Watch'. The FDA approved the Gluco Watch, which is device that is like a watch, in 2001. Three times per hour it measures your blood sugar levels and displays the reading. As a non invasive method, it's become increasingly popular since it was made available.
1. Blood sugar monitoring at home. This is the most commonly used method. It involves pricking your finger with a sharp needle (professionally designed for this purpose). Having done this, you then need to squeeze some blood from your finger on to a testing strip. The test trip is then inserted into a meter which displays your blood sugar level.
2. Alternative self testing. Over the years, newer meters have developed which now allow you to test body parts other than your finger tip; these include the base of your thumb, your thighs and your forearms. Despite these additional options drawing blood from your finger tips remains the most used. The reason being that the blood in your finger tips gives a more precise reading than blood in other parts of your body.
3. Blood testing by laser. In the late 90s, the Food And Drug (FDA) administration approved a meter laser device capable of extracting blood through a precise laser beam on a finger. This device was in response to the numerous complaints of discomfort and pain caused by the regular pricking of the finger. For those who are not at ease with piercing their skin with a needle, this is an ideal solution.
4. The continuous glucose monitoring system. This device involves a very small tube which is inserted under your skin. The device then collects small amounts of fluids and measures the sugar levels or content of these fluids over a 72 hour period. For people who sometimes forget, or don't always have time, to take their own samples, this underused system should be given serious consideration.
5. The 'Gluco Watch'. The FDA approved the Gluco Watch, which is device that is like a watch, in 2001. Three times per hour it measures your blood sugar levels and displays the reading. As a non invasive method, it's become increasingly popular since it was made available.
