If you have diabetes you’re not alone. It is estimated that there are more than 422 million people living with diabetes and 1.6 million deaths in 2016 alone.
But, diabetes is not the only reason you would need to have your blood sugar levels tested. If you’re at risk of diabetes, have health issues, are overweight, or are already on some medication, your doctor may want to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels.
Understanding Blood Tests
In most cases you can do the testing yourself, at home or wherever you are. These are known as general blood glucose monitoring tests. The alternative is the A1C test which, although can be done at home, is usually done at the request of your doctor and in their surgery.
The AC1 test shows the doctor your blood sugar control over the last 2 or 3 months. It is useful to the doctor to establish if your sugar levels are moving in the right direction and staying consistent.
If you’re simply looking to monitor your general blood glucose level then you can invest in a home testing kit. There are two types of kits that you may be interested in:
- Continuous
The continuous testing kit involves having a small monitor fitted to your person. You need to get a specialist kit from someone who has continuous glucose monitoring supplies. It should be very discreet to wear, leaving you confident to engage in your routine activities without worrying.
The small device will constantly monitor your blood sugar levels and record the information. The data is then sent to an app, where it can be saved.
This allows you and your doctor to look at the data and locate any areas of concern. For example, if your blood sugar levels spike every Thursday morning. You will be able to identify the cause and adjust your habits and behavior to prevent this from occurring.
This doesn’t have to be a tool for those suffering fromextreme diabetes; it can benefit anyone by managing it before it becomes an issue or even preventing it from happening in the first place.
A greatperk of this system is that it can give you an alarm if your blood sugar level drops below or above a predeterminedrange.
- Occasional
The alternative is the testing kit. This will have an alcohol pad, sterile finger lances, test strips, and a glucose meter. You can find supplies at TestStrips4Money
The idea is that you wipe your finger with the alcohol pad to ensure it is clean before pricking your finger with the lance. The blood can then be dabbed onto the test strip and the glucose meter will scan this to give you your glucose level.
Obviously,this is a much cheaper option than the continuous system. But, you will need to remember to check your blood sugar level regularly and it won’t give you a warning if you’re low or high between tests.
The occasional route is usually acceptable if you have mild diabetes or are concerned about contracting it. Otherwise, the continuous option is likely to be a better choice.
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