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Ways to Test Your Sugar

Testing blood sugar levels helps to reduce the risk of acquiring diabetes. Blood sugar testing determines glucose levels in the blood. Glucose is the body's main source of energy and is derived from eating foods high in carbohydrates. As the amount of glucose in the body rises, the pancreas releases insulin, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.

  1. Test Strip

    • Patients can test their blood sugar levels by pricking a finger with a lancet or a sharp needle and placing a drop of blood on a testing strip. Then they place the strip into a glucose monitor or meter to read the results. You can purchase blood sugar monitors or meters at drug stores. They come with various features. You can use more advanced models to read blood sugar levels from different body parts, such as the forearm or base of the thumb. These do not require blood samples. However, the results may vary from test strip samples, which provide the most accurate reading of blood sugar levels.

    Mini Med Glucose Sensor

    • You use the Mini Med Glucose Sensor to monitor blood sugar levels by inserting a small tube under the skin. You can wear the device for up to 3-days, and you can disconnedct it easily when changing clothes or bathing. The Mini Med monitor collects body fluids to provide a reading of blood sugar levels. The device also includes an alarm designed to warn patients when their blood sugar level is too high or low.

    Laser Testing

    • According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, laser blood sugar testing devices are alternatives to monitoring blood glucose levels without the discomfort of using a lancet for blood samples. More recent laser devices contain a meter and lancing equipment, which can be used to obtain blood samples from the thighs, forearms and other regions with fewer nerve endings less sensitive than the fingertips.

    GlucoWatch

    • Glucowatch is a non-invasive device you can wear like a wristwatch; the device uses low electric currents to draw glucose from the skin. Glucowatch's built-in, programmable alarm alerts a patient when her blood sugar is high or low. You need a doctor's prescription to obtain a Glucowatch device.

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