How a Glucose Meter Can Be Beneficial to You

Whether you are prediabetic, diabetic or simply concerned about your blood sugar levels, a glucose meter is a vital tool that can help you ascertain if your glucose levels fall under a healthy range or not. While this can also be done at a clinic or a hospital, having your very own FDA approved glucose meter at home can save you time, effort and, of course, a ton of money.

What Role Does Blood Glucose Levels Play?

Your body processes glucose (sugar) with the help of a hormone known as insulin secreted by the pancreas to produce energy to sustain itself. When the pancreas fails to secrete the required amount of insulin or when your body develops a resistance to the hormone, you are at a risk of developing diabetes.

This leads to two scenarios:

1. Hypoglycaemia is a condition in which your glucose levels are too low.
2. Hyperglycaemia occurs when your glucose levels skyrockets above the normal range.

In both cases, you are susceptible to a range of health complications, and since diabetes is a chronic disease, it is absolutely crucial that you regularly keep your blood sugar levels in check.

Traditional Laboratory Tests Vs. Glucose Meters

There was a time when the only option for you to test your glucose levels was by visiting a pathology lab at a local clinic or a hospital. In most cases, this entailed two physical visits to the lab – one, where you were required to fast before your blood is drawn for the test and, two, after you had eaten a meal. Each of these lab visits also comes attached with a bill that may or may not be affordable for some.

Given today’s technological advancements in the diagnostic field, such situations can be a thing of the past. Today, we have glucose meters to assist us in diabetes management.

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There are several advantages of owning a glucose meter:

• Emergency diagnostic tool– In the rare cases where you might feel the symptoms of hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia, a rapid blood test to ascertain your blood sugar levels can prove vital in administering the necessary medication to get the health condition under control.
• Convenience – Portability is one of the key features of glucose meters. They are handy and can be easily carried wherever you go.
• Cost-effective – When compared to the bills raked up by your many visits to the lab, test strips that are used by the glucose meters are considerably cheap and easy on your pockets.
• Ease of use – Keeping in mind the average age of people afflicted with diabetes, which is above 40, simplicity in terms of use has been a priority by the manufactures of glucose meters, be it one-touch operation or use of bold numerical figures on illuminated digital displays.

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Overview

Given the number of advantages of a glucose meter, it would be a wise decision to have this indispensable device in your home. There may be cases where it might prove to be a life-saving gadget or a tool to regularly monitor your health.