Finding out that you have diabetes is never easy. If you’ve been recently diagnosed, you may feel overwhelmed with all the information coming your way—what blood sugar is, how to monitor it, and how to stay in your target range. Or maybe you’ve been living with diabetes for a while and find it difficult to stay on track with monitoring. Either way, you’re not alone. Approximately 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year and join the millions of Americans already working to manage their diabetes with the help of regular glucose monitoring. An easy blood sugar tester makes it simple.
The Importance of Testing Your Blood Sugar
When you have diabetes, checking your blood sugar levels throughout the day has both immediate and long-term benefits. Routine self-monitoring allows you to
- Assess how your treatment plan is working;
- Prevent complications from unnoticed or undocumented low or high blood glucose levels, including heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease;
- Understand how diet, exercise, stress, medication, and other factors impact your glucose levels;
- Determine if your blood glucose levels are too high or too low to perform a certain task or activity; and
- Address blood sugar events in the moment.
Be sure to talk to your healthcare team about what your self-monitoring routine should look like and how it fits into your overall diabetes management plan. Here are some of the most important questions to ask when developing your plan:
- What’s my target range?
- What’s the best way to test my blood sugar?
- How often and when should I check my blood sugar? (The answer may be, for example, “at least twice per day, be sure to include some checks two hours after meals, and any time you feel your blood sugar might need attention.”)
Getting personalized guidance from your healthcare team and choosing an easy blood sugar tester will help you feel confident as you embark on your diabetes management journey.
What Is an Easy Blood Sugar Tester?
Thanks to advanced technology, you have more choices when it comes to finding an easy blood sugar tester. Of course, the word “easy” means different things to different people. Comparing a standard blood sugar tester to an automatic device can help you determine what easy means to you.
Traditional Blood Glucose Meter (BGM)
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Automatic Blood Glucose Monitor (ABGM)
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| Uses separate test strips and lancets that must be loaded into the device each time you test | Uses multi-test cartridges with integrated test strips and lancets |
| Requires manually lancing your finger and placing a blood drop on a test strip | Automatically lances and collects blood at the press of a button |
| Often requires you to find a more private place to test | Allows you to test discreetly at your convenience |
| Used lancets leave an exposed sharp, which must be disposed of in a sharps container | Because the lancet and test strips are integrated inside the cartridge, the sharp is not exposed and therefore the cartridge often does not require sharps-container disposal |
An innovative ABGM, such as the POGO Automatic® Monitor, offers a simple, discreet, and accurate way to monitor your blood sugar. POGO Automatic uses 10-test cartridges with built-in lancets and test strips, which means you don’t have to carry separate components or load your device each time you test. Instead, you simply press a button and put your finger on the test port, and the device does the work of lancing and blood collection for you. That means it’s an easy blood sugar tester to use whether you’re trying to fit sugar checking into your workday, want to check your blood sugar at school without everyone noticing, struggle with dexterity issues, or need to monitor on the go.
Choosing a blood sugar tester with Bluetooth capabilities is a great way to stay on course and make the most of your blood glucose data. The POGO Automatic Monitor, for example, can automatically send your results to the Patterns® for POGO Automatic app, eliminating the need for manual data logging and allowing you and your healthcare team to easily see blood sugar trends. Patterns also integrates with a range of popular health and fitness apps, giving you a deeper understanding of the factors that affect your blood sugar, including diet, exercise, medication, sleep, and stress.
Simplify Your Plan
Whether you’ve been living with diabetes for years or are newly diagnosed, the best diabetes management plans are personal. Making an easy blood sugar tester part of your routine can make it easier to stick to your plan and set yourself up for success. It can also allow your healthcare team to more accurately assess how your treatment is working and make any changes necessary to support your health.
Ready to Have Freedom at Your Fingertip?
POGO Automatic is the only FDA-cleared blood glucose monitor that lances and collects blood automatically, in one simple step, with its 10-test cartridge technology, eliminating the need to carry separate lancets and test strips. Reach out today to learn more about how you can check your blood glucose without interrupting your day.
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Jaclyn OwensJaclyn Owens is a product director specializing in diabetes management tools. She is committed to using technology to empower people with diabetes and help them take control of their health. |
All content on this website is for educational purposes only and does not replace the guidance of your healthcare practitioner. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
