Monitoring your blood glucose (sugar) levels may be very essential if you have got diabetes. You get real-time results, allowing you to regulate your medications, exercise and food plan accordingly.
Because blood glucose levels fluctuate throughout the day, monitoring improves glucose control and reduces its risks. Complications From hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) and hyperglycemia (high glucose levels).
But Type and range The variety of blood glucose monitors has increased in recent times. Here are two foremost options, with their pros and cons.
Finger prick tests
The first blood glucose monitors were finger prick tests, which were developed. 50 years ago And are still in use today. These depend on you pricking your finger and placing a drop of blood on the strip, which you then inject into the hand held meter.
Meters available in Australia should be met. International standards Many approved meters and strips are subsidized for accuracy. under the National Diabetes Services Scheme.
If you have got type 2 diabetes and want occasional tests (mostly those that should not taking insulin), these devices could also be suitable.
However, pricking your finger several times a day could be unpleasant or impractical, especially for those who need more frequent monitoring.
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Continuous glucose monitoring
Continuous glucose monitoring Glucose testing has modified over the past 20 years, especially for individuals who need insulin injections or use an insulin pump.
These systems use sensors that you just normally wear in your arm or stomach. The sensor incorporates a small needle that pierces the skin to measure glucose levels under the skin (subcutaneous glucose) every jiffy. The reading is then transmitted to a tool, resembling a smartphone or receiver. These systems also have to be met. International standards To be precise
Because glucose levels under the skin should not the exact same as blood glucose levels, an algorithm converts this to a blood glucose reading.
These systems provide real-time glucose information and have turn into increasingly accurate and user-friendly over time. All have alarms to alert the wearer of dangerously low or high glucose levels. These alarms bring peace of mind to users and caregivers who fear the implications of severe hypos, especially at night or during activities, resembling driving.
But there may be a couple of minutes lag between subcutaneous glucose and blood glucose which suggests continuous monitoring is at all times slightly behind.
Putting pressure on the sensor (eg sleeping on it) can affect its accuracy, as can various medicines or supplements resembling vitamin C or paracetamol.
You can't use these tools immediately either. After applying them to the skin, there may be a warm-up period of 1 to 2 hours.
Then there may be the worth. From 2022All individuals with type 1 diabetes have subsidized access to continuous monitoring under the National Diabetes Services Scheme. But there is no such thing as a such subsidy for individuals with type 2 diabetes, who pay about A$50 per week for his or her systems.
Other options
Continuous monitoring system sensors last for one to 2 weeks depending on the system. Then you have got to put in a brand new sensor. But there are implantable devices. In progress Which will last for six months. These should not yet available in Australia.
Other widely advertised watch-based devices should not approved glucose monitors. Is No scientific evidence support their accuracy.
Whatever device you utilize or are considering, it is crucial that you just achieve this together with your treating medical practitioner, specialist or diabetes nurse educator.