Surprising Benefits Of A Glucometer You Must Know

by Vikrant Salve

As a patient with Diabetes who had metabolic complications for a long time or a newly detected diabetes patient, one common addition to your toolkit other than your diabetes medication recommended by your Medical Practitioners would be your trusted Glucometer. 


A Glucometer gives accurate results every time with Blood Glucose Monitors (BGM) that use glucometer test strips or Continuous Blood Glucose Monitors (CGM) that we will discuss further.


A Glucometer is a compact, computerized medical device that records and shows your blood glucose levels; they are primarily used for self-monitoring on a daily basis.


Self-monitoring is a commitment which many diabetic patients have to follow for a better and healthier life ahead. Your blood glucose levels help you and your doctors to modify your diet, lifestyle, insulin therapy and medications that can help your blood sugar come back to normal.


There is a fine balance that patients have to maintain with their blood sugar levels, as it can go from a hyperglycemic state (where blood glucose level is too high) to a hypoglycemic state (blood glucose level is too low). 

Hyperglycemia can cause significant damage to some organs, which then leads to multiple complications of diabetes. These include cardiac or vascular events like heart attack or stroke, kidney problems, eye problems and other issues.


Types Of Glucometer


  • Blood Glucose Monitors (BGM): They have commonly used blood glucose monitoring devices that are simple to use which use a glucose strip to accurately measure your blood glucose levels.

    • The patient has to enter a test strip into the device, clean the fingertip, give it a little prick using a lancet, and touch the test strip with the blood to display your blood glucose on the device.


  • Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM): These devices provide real-time blood sugar level readings 24 hours a day, therefore, allowing people with type-1 or type-2 diabetes to closely track blood glucose levels and trends. A small sensor in the form of a patch is inserted on the skin of the arm or abdomen, which uses an automatic applicator to measure glucose levels which is wirelessly connected with Bluetooth or WiFi to your monitor, smartphone or tablets. They are more expensive than Blood Glucose Monitors.


    • So What’s the Right Glucometer For You?


    In the initial stages of diabetes, for daily self-monitoring a Blood Glucose Monitor is recommended, however, there are long term costs associated with it like the price of testing strips and other medical supplies. And for adults and children with Type- 1 diabetes who have HbA1C levels above 7% can use (CGM) Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices nearly every day.


    Benefits Of A Glucometer:

    There are multiple benefits of having a Glucometer at home they include:

    • Ease of use

    When compared to a lab test, which involves syringes and needles. A compact glucometer offers the convenience of daily use from the comfort of their home which can be recorded, stored and sent to your doctor which is more affordable.

    • Reading Accuracy

    With newer innovations in medical technology, glucometers these days have highly sensitive strips and sensors that can detect every component of blood accurately that’s close to lab results.

    • Easy to Make Medical Decisions

    The accurate reading of your glucometer enables you to make daily crucial life and death decisions with respect to your diet or medication.

    For example, if your sugar levels show as low and you are in a hypoglycemic state you can consume a quick snack to avoid feeling sick or unconscious. Similarly, a sudden rise of high blood sugar is a warning sign that you might need medical assistance.

    •  Smart Features of Glucometers 

    Glucometers nowadays can do so much more than just read your blood sugar levels. These new features include

    1. Smaller size makes it easy to carry around.
    2. Data Record Storage
    3. Insulin Tracking
    4. Voice Result Updates that can read out your results
    5. Smart Result Display with visual graphs and charts
    6. Notes about your diet and exercise. 
    7. Smartphone Integration with Android and iOS devices
    8. The record of this information can even be shared with your family members or physicians
    • Cost-effective

    A good glucometer is a one time buy, that’s more affordable compared to lab results of your blood sugar levels as they offer accuracy that’s close to lab results.

    With these benefits of glucometers, we hope this article helps you come up with the right decisions in your diabetes journey.

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