The blood glucose measurements from the finger: rules and recommendations

Today we will not talk about the necessary number of measurements, which are already so well known to every person with diabetes, but how to take blood properly to measure the glucose level in the body.

Recommendations on the rules for blood sampling from the finger to check the blood glucose level:

• If possible, it is recommended to measure the blood sugar level using finger material, because the blood circulates faster in the finger than at other possible points of the material intake (shoulder, forearm, thigh, caviar, etc.).
• To improve blood circulation at the site of blood sampling, it is recommended that the place be massaged before washing. To wash your hands (or an alternative place of blood sampling) is better with warm water, which also improves blood circulation. If there is no effect, the puncture should be made deeper (by setting the piercing device to a higher level (4-5), to obtain the required amount of material.
• After washing, wipe or dry your hands well. If the site of the puncture is moist during the study, the water will mix with a drop of blood and break the accuracy of the analysis, which will affect the results.
• Do not pierce your finger too deeply. Too deep puncture damages excess tissues, and this is useless. If possible, we recommend setting the auto-pricker in position 2-3.
• You should regularly change the areas from which you take blood for analysis. Frequent piercing of the same place leads to thickening of the skin, which in turn will cause the need to make a puncture deeper, as well as cause the need to squeeze blood. As a result, the procedure will become painful. Experts advise to take material for examination with 3 fingers of each hand (usually studies are not carried out on the thumb and index fingers).
• Do not squeeze your finger squeezing blood to get more material. In this case, the blood is mixed with the tissue fluid, which can distort the results of the study. The measurement of blood glucose in this case will not have laboratory accuracy.
• Test strips for testing should be taken with clean and dry hands. You can take them anywhere.
• Never put the test strips of the glucometer in another container, because the original package has a special coating that supports the dryness of the test strips. Also, after removing the test strip for analysis, the package should be immediately closed tightly.

In conclusion, it should be added that you should always make sure that the test strips are suitable for your meter and that their expiry date has not expired - as is known, the last day indicated on the date pack is the last day of the period during which the manufacturer Guarantees the accuracy of test results.

Following our recommendations, you can not only greatly simplify the measurement of blood glucose glucose, but also to achieve the most accurate results, which means - to ensure the effectiveness of self-monitoring and get the maximum effect from the prescribed treatment.