Diabetes: To avoid the complication of diabetes it is important to constantly check blood sugar levels. If you are a diabetic here are a few mistakes you should be avoiding while checking blood sugar levels at home.
Diabetes: To avoid the complication of diabetes it is important to constantly check blood sugar levels. If you are a diabetic here are a few mistakes you should be avoiding while checking blood sugar levels at home.Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires constant management of blood sugar levels. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels start affecting different organs of the body negatively. It thus important that diabetics regularly monitor their blood sugar. It helps them understand whether the diet and lifestyle they are following is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels or not. It also helps you avoid major fluctuations. A glucometer is to monitor blood sugar levels at home. However, there are a few common mistakes that one can make while doing so. Dr. Girish Parmar, Senior Consultant, Endocrinology and Diabetes explains a few common mistakes you should be avoiding to achieve accurate results.
Mistakes to avoid while measuring blood sugar levels
1) Postprandial blood sugar
Postprandial blood glucose test measures blood glucose post-meal. While testing the two-hour postprandial sugar level, its ideal to start counting the time once you start eating your meal instead of upon completion of the meal.
2) Prick timing
For a more accurate reading of your blood sugars, it’s ideal to take the test at different times throughout the day as a lot of environmental and physiological factors do change according to the time.
3) Prick finger
One of the most common mistakes is using the same finger for the blood sugar test every day, repeatedly. Doing so may cause pain or even a minor injury. Thus, it is best to keep rotating the finger from either hand for blood sugar level testing.
4) One prick, one needle
It has been observed that many patients use the same needle for more than five to six pricks or avoid changing it for longer durations. It can increase the chances of infection multi-fold. It is ideal to discard the needle after ever prick with proper safety measures.
5) Needle depth
The lancing devices, used for the test come with adjustable needle depths which can be changed as per the thickness of the skin on your fingers. Make sure the needle is set between 3-4 to ensure a proper prick.
6) Sanitisation
Always sanitize the finger you are going to prick to ensure the area is clean and infection free. Most importantly don’t hurry to prick once you have sanitised the finger with spirits. Wait for the spirit to evaporate from the skin surface before pricking.
7) Variations between sugar levels
There is an acceptable variation between the readings of a glucometer and laboratory test of blood sugar levels. Hence even if after following all possible norms if there is a difference in the readings don’t panic.
