Blood sugar is essential since it's your body's main source of energy. Additionally, it provides the body's organs, muscles, and nervous system with nutrients. Physicians recommend proper regulation and monitoring of glucose levels to prevent serious health complications like type 2 diabetes. They use glucose monitors to test the concentration of glucose in the blood. Find out below the different types of monitors used.
People use a CGM to track their glucose levels automatically. It is FDA approved and collects reading day and night after every 5 to 15 minutes. This monitor is essential in giving trends and patterns on how your diabetes looks like. Depending on the condition, you can effectively manage it to avoid further complications. A CGM has three components, sensors, transmitters, and receivers or display units. The sensor is inserted under your skin on the thighs, abdomen, or upper home. You may insert the device yourself or visit your doctor for insertion. Sensors create an electrical current that transmitters pass to the receiver. To ensure effectiveness, replace the transmitters and sensors regularly. On the downside, doctors cannot make treatment depending on the device's readings. Additionally, some errors may occur during installation, thus hindering efficiency.
Blood glucose meter (BGM) uses a single-use blood test to check sugar levels. It's a manual process where the doctor pricks your finger to collect the blood sample. They then test the sample to determine your current glucose level. This method is relatively affordable compared to others and produces accurate results. BGMs differ in type and the number of features they have. Consider factors such as ease of use, information storage and retrieval, and any special features that will help meet your specific needs. However, guidance from a professional would be best to ensure you acquire the right device. The setback of using the meter is that it provides limited data. In addition, you are required to do multiple finger pricks in a day.
Freestyle Libre is a type of CGM that uses interstitial fluids to measure sugar levels instead of blood. To use the device, you wear a sensor on your upper arm; it has a flash system that acts as the monitor to give the glucose readings. Changing the sensor every 14 days would be best to ensure effectiveness. The device has an optional alarm that notifies you if your blood sugar levels are out of control. Using the libre allows you to check your glucose levels several times; however, you may experience skin irritation around the sensor area.