Listed below are 5 different methods you can use to test your blood sugar levels. They use different approaches, but these diabetes testing methods perform one and the same thing. 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 time, newer meters have developed which now allow you to test body parts other than your finger tip; these include your upper arms, your forearms, the base of your thumb, and your thighs. Testing blood taken from the finger is preferred by many though, despite of these additional options. The reason being that the blood in your finger tips gives a more precise reading than blood in other parts of your body.
3. Drawing blood through laser. In the late 90s, a laser device that was capable of extracting blood from a finger was approved by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration).. The development of the device was a result of the widespread complaints about the pain and inpractibility of existing methods. For those who are not at ease with piercing their skin with a needle, this is an ideal solution.
4. 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. It’s an underused system but should be considered by those who forget or don’t always have time to take blood samples themselves.
5. The ‘Gluco Watch’. Officially released after approval by the FDA is 2001, the Gluco Watch is a device that you wear on your wrist. This watch-like meter helps you to measure your blood sugar levels three times per hour over a 12 hour period. As a non invasive method, it’s become increasingly popular since it was made available.






