It is very important for anyone who suffers from Diabetes should test their levels of blood glucose on a regular basis. By knowing what there blood glucose levels are the person is then in a much better positioning of being able to manage the disease when they find that there levels are not close to their normal range. So just what ways are available for a person to test their blood glucose levels? In this article we will take a look at what a person can use.

The most common way a person is able to test their blood glucose levels today is through using a home monitoring kit.

With this method a person will prick their finger with a small sharp needle (lancet) in order to provide a blood sample. They then put the sample on to a test strip which they then place into the monitor. The monitor will then analyze the sample on the strip and provide a reading of what the person's blood glucose (sugar) level is. A number of the new devices on the market can provide a result within 15 seconds or less and are then able to store the information until it is required for future use. Some machines like the Ascensia Breeze by Bayer are able to store 100 test results at any given time.

As well as storing the results these machines are also able to calculate what a person's average blood glucose levels have been for a particular period of time. Whilst there are even some monitors which come with software that allows you to download all this information on to your PC and helps them to track their diabetes much more effectively.

Today some of the more recent monitoring systems available allow you take blood samples from other sites on the body rather than just the finger tips. Normally you will be able to take samples from either the upper arm, forearm, the thigh or the base of the thumb. But by using this sites you may find the results you get are completely different from those that you receive from your finger tips as blood glucose changes more quickly in this part of the body than anywhere else.

The other monitoring system on the market that was introduced in 1998 uses a laser (beam of light) to draw blood. It is this beam of light which will penetrate the skin and so you avoid the discomfort associated with using the lancet. Therefore by using this kind of monitor you are reducing the amount of pain and discomfort that you would normally feel.