Blood Glucose Monitoring: Purpose and How it Works

Sometimes, a simple blood sugar test can be all you need to get on the right track with diabetes management. Your doctor may order this so they can see if your body is functioning properly and what might need adjusting for optimal health outcomes.

The information from this procedure will help them diagnose any problems that could arise in an already complicated medical condition like type 1 or 2 diabetes, but also how best to approach managing symptoms at home through meal planning tips and adjustment of diabetes medications!

What is Blood Glucose Monitoring?

Diet, exercise, medications, or pathological conditions known to increase blood sugar levels such as diabetes can affect blood glucose levels. Monitoring blood sugar levels looks for patterns in those fluctuations. Blood glucose levels that are unusually high or low can result in acute and chronic, life-threatening conditions. A capillary blood glucose (CBG) test is conducted in the home as part of blood glucose monitoring. In contrast, venous blood glucose tests are commonly performed at clinical facilities.

Whichever you prefer, the importance of blood glucose monitoring cannot be underestimated in any of the situations. You have to conduct a regular monitoring system of your blood glucose level to manage your type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

What does Blood Glucose Monitoring do?

Blood glucose monitoring is an essential element of diabetes management. You will have more information about how food, exercise, stress, and other factors influence your diabetes by identifying and recording changes in your blood sugar levels.

What device should be used in Blood Glucose Monitoring?

In order to manage diabetes effectively, it is essential to check blood sugar levels regularly. Blood samples are usually required to monitor blood sugar levels. At home, there are several devices available for monitoring blood sugar levels. Using a small tool, they prick your skin to take a blood sample. Next, glucose levels in the blood are measured using a small device called a glucometer.

Pricking your finger can be painful and difficult. There are several devices not requiring a blood sample that is now in development. However, some of these blood sugar monitors without finger pricks are not FDA-approved. Blood sugar is measured using one of these methods and are not licensed yet to be used:

● A forearm or finger is illuminated by infrared light

● Blood is drawn up through the skin using low-level electricity

● Tears or saliva

The devices which do not require fingerpricks but are well-recognised to be of considerable accuracy and used frequently are using technology that checks interstitial glucose – the sugar level within the fluid of our skin. These include continuous glucose monitoring devices or flash glucose monitoring devices like the Abbott Freestyle Libre sensors. These devices are placed under our skin for 7-14 days either over the arm or the abdomen and allows us to track glucose readings continuously the whole day.

What are the risks and side effects of a blood sugar test?

The risks and side effects of a blood sugar test have minimal to none. However, if you’re drawing blood from the vein, it is normal to experience soreness, bruising, and swelling on the spot of a puncture. Usually, it will clear up after a day or two.

Fingerprick readings using glucometers do not have risks but again, soreness from the area of the fingerprick would be experienced.

Continuous glucose monitoring or flash glucose meter readings are also very safe and will avoid pain from regular fingerpricks. However, there can be skin irritations from the site of these sensor insertions. Most patients do not have much issues with this.

Final Words

You can easily monitor your blood glucose level on your own. Blood glucose monitoring can be part of a healthy dietary or diabetes maintenance routine to log your blood glucose level.

Depending on the type of diabetes you have and your treatment plans, your doctor will advice if regular glucose monitoring is required and it will help them and help you get better diabetes control when you know your glucose readings on a day-to-day basis.