Diabetes is a long-term condition that can be treated and managed, but cannot be cured. This means that one should never lose focus on blood sugar levels in diabetes. Diabetes control has to be maintained in type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. This means periodic blood sugar level measurements; sometimes at home and sometimes in the lab. However, when you are measuring blood sugar levels at home, you might want to avoid these mistakes in order to get a true picture of your diabetes.
Importance of home diabetes tests
People with prediabetes (those on the threshold of becoming diabetic), in fact, have to be extra careful to delay the onset of diabetes. As is commonly known, diabetes is the condition where sugars accumulate in the body due to lack of insulin production. Insulin is the only hormone produced by the pancreas in the body to convert sugar into energy.
For a diabetic, medication, diet, and exercise are of prime importance without which high blood sugar levels cannot be controlled. With a healthy and disciplined lifestyle it is easy to control obesity and diabetes. The question here is “how does a person know the values or levels of blood sugar”? It is by taking regular blood sugar tests. Is it practical to commute to a lab every day? – Definitely not. Then “how is it possible to monitor regularly”?
Regular monitoring at home is possible with easy to operate, user-friendly diabetes homecare kit or sugar kit. Essentially the kit contains a diabetes machine or blood sugar monitors, blood testing strips and lancets to draw blood.
Once a diabetic gets acquainted with the procedure then it is smooth sailing. Best way for diabetes control.
10 common mistakes to avoid in home diabetes tests
Very often, familiarity breeds carelessness. People get so comfortable conducting diabetes tests with the diabetes homecare kit that they often neglect small details that could affect the results.
Some common mistakes that are made during home diabetic tests:
- First and single biggest mistake people make is drawing blood from the fingertip where nerves are located – the pad of finger. This is where most nerves are located making it the most sensitive spot, which is why drawing blood here hurts the most. To locate an ideal area, put the palms of hands and fingertips pressed together. Drawing blood from the visible edges will hurt a lot less
- Do not use alcohol on fingertips as a sanitizer because drying action of alcohol can hurt when needle pricks. Clinical spirit can be used.
- Do not lick fingers to take out a test strip. Clean with cotton wool. This is because licking can bring out whatever was in the mouth or whatever was just touched and now likely to be picked up by the test. Example “If a person was eating an orange, result may be high because orange was tested, not blood.”
- People choose to use the same spot and finger regularly for drawing blood because they get familiar with the spot. It is advisable to use different fingers each time especially to avoid callus build up and to reduce discomfort.
- For best results and least pain, appropriate blood sugar testing supplies should be used. For example: lancets- these are very sharp in the beginning, but quickly get dull and begin to hurt. It is advisable to change lancets regularly.
- A diabetic kit or a sugar kit should have an accurate blood sugar monitor. Check for battery power and learn how to assess results.
- Use only manufacturer-recommended test strips. Using expired or poorly stored test strips can result in inaccurate readings.
- Never test immediately after eating. If it is postprandial sugar test, it should be conducted two hours after completing a meal. Fasting blood sugar test should be done only 10 hours after a meal.
- Because there is a home testing diabetes kit available, do not test mindlessly. It may cause confusion in your mind.
- Never buy an unsuitable diabetes kit. An unsuitable sugar kit, especially with wrong or incompatible settings like code of strip, can give completely wrong results.
Using these tips while checking blood sugar levels at home will ease the pain and discomfort felt while taking the test. If a person is in pain or discomfort, the regularity of diabetes tests gets delayed. Avoid these mistakes, check regularly to lead a healthy life.
Diabetes is a lifelong condition. It is in the best interest of people suffering from Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes to live a disciplined life with healthy food, exercise, and regular diabetes tests.
It is easy to check at home and keep in touch with your diabetologist, endocrinologist or healthcare provider with Apollo Sugar’s smartphone app-connected diabetes kit. Now, you can let your family members and your doctor know your blood sugar levels as soon as you measure them! Contact 18001022725 to know more about Apollo Sugar diabetes homecare kit.
