Health management is a big topic these days, as the medical costs are sky rocketing people are trying to keep in the best shape to avoid major medical expenses. However, after an age or due to certain issues, some things are unavoidable like high blood sugar levels. People with diabetes are quite common these days and they need to keep control of what they eat and how much glucose they are consuming. If the blood sugar level shoots up, it can cause severe problems like kidney failure, eye damage, nerve damage, stroke, etc. Therefore, it is important to make sure that blood sugar levels are always controlled and below a certain level. And this can be tracked regularly using a glucometer.

What is a glucometer?

Glucometers are small and handy devices that are used to detect the blood sugar levels in the blood. This is done by collecting some blood from the finger by pricking with a small pin availed. Then the blood is applied to the glucometer strip, which has a certain amount of chemicals in it. The chemicals then react with blood and send electrical signals through the sample to detect the sugar levels. Finally, the numerical data on blood sugar levels are shown on the LCD screen of the glucometer.

Features of glucometer

A good glucometer is simple to use and easy to understand. As most of the glucometers are for self-care purposes, the devices are designed with fewer features but effective ones. When it comes to digital glucometers there are simple ones that only combine LCD screen, power source like battery and internal memory. Also in advanced devices, one can find Bluetooth technology and connectivity to smartphone apps. Also in some of the advanced models, there is a voice technology that will tell the exact reading.

Other than all these features, the two most important components of a glucometer is the lancet and strips for testing the blood sugar. Needles are spring-loaded and have varied gauge size (smaller gauge size means larger size of the hole). And the next is the test strip which plays the most crucial role in giving the exact test results. These strips are imbibed with chemicals that help in sugar level detection. These are one-time use strips and you will have to buy them, keeping in mind the number of times the testing is required.

Importance of self-monitoring of glucose levels

Self-monitoring is one of the most important parts of controlling one’s diabetes. It helps not only in keeping a check on the blood sugar levels but also helps in tweaking one’s diabetic regime. This gives you time to take proper medications and treatments and also bring in more self-health awareness to avoid loss of treatment window.

Some of the advantages of using a self-monitoring glucometer are:

• It gives an insight if the medicines are working or not.
• You can learn about the food which is to be controlled and thus manage a good diet.
• It helps in deciding your day and various tasks.
• It makes a patient anxiety-free who keeps worrying about hypoglycemia.