Nine Tips To Make Testing Less Painful

Did you know there are 9 simple steps that you can take to make testing your blood glucose a lot less painful?

At the moment, to accurately check our blood glucose the only way to do this, is to prick our fingers and check the resulting blood for glucose.

Pain is caused by the penetration of the lancet into the skin. The deeper the lancet penetrates the skin the more painful the testing but the more blood is provided for testing. If you need more blood for testing then the lancet will need to penetrate deeper.

The tips below focus on ways to get more blood out when you prick your finger with a lancet so that it does not need to penetrate the skin deeply and thus makes it a lot less painful!

1) Wash your hands with soap and warm water - this will help keep the testing site clean and help dilate the blood vessels in the fingers to increase blood flow.

2) Massage your finger downwards to the tip of your finger - this will help push blood towards the tip of your finger so that when it is pricked there is plenty of blood there ready to come out.

3) Have your testing hand pointing downwards below your waist - blood will flow more easily when following gravity downwards.

4) Set your lancing device - lancing devices have different settings to pierce the skin at different depths. If you use the tips in this article you should find that you will be able to use a lower setting but still have enough blood for testing. Try changing the settings to find the right level.

5) Select the right meter - different blood glucose meters require different amounts of blood to carry out a blood glucose testing. The less blood needed the less painful testing will be. Choose a meter that requires only a small testing sample such as the GlucoDr.Plus(AGM 3000)which needs only 1.5 microliter.

6) Alternate your fingers - don't use the same finger over and over again. You have 8 fingers distribute the testing evenly. You'll find your fingers will recover much faster and blood flow will be better.

7) Moisturise your fingers - harden skin through regular testing can reduce blood flow out when pricked. Help your skin repair and your fingers recover. Regularly moisture your fingers.

8) Prick the tip of your fingers - better blood flow at the tip of your finger so best place to test.

9) Use a new lancet each time! - a lancet is designed only to be used once. Once used it becomes blunt and if re-used it can be very painful.

These tips should help make testing a lot less painful.

Taking Control Of Pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes occurs when your body improperly metabolizes glucose or sugar. One of your body's daily functions is to take sugar and transfer it to your cells for energy. When you have pre-diabetes this sugar builds up in your bloodstream rather than traveling to your cells. This happens when your body does not respond to the effects of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas that is responsible for monitoring the movement of sugar into the body's cells), or your pancreas are not making enough insulin. It can also occur due to a combination of both factors.

While the cause of pre-diabetes is not fully understood there are risk factors, such as those listed below, which can contribute to the development of the disease.

* Having a body mass index above 25 and/or high blood pressure
* Being over the age of 45
* Having a family history of type 2 diabetes
* Getting less than 5 ½ hours of sleep at night
* Having given birth to a baby weighing nine pounds or more and/or having gestational diabetes during your pregnancy
* Being African American, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian
* Getting less than three days of physical activity each week
* Having a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome

The Good News…You Can Take Control of Your Pre-Diabetes Destiny.

By incorporating the following healthy lifestyle changes into your daily routine you can prevent pre-diabetes, delay its progression and/or return your blood sugar levels to a normal range.

* Get moving. In addition to lowering your blood sugar and helping your body use insulin more effectively, exercise can help you maintain a healthy body weight. Ideally, you should strive for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity at least five days per week. If finding time is an issue, you can break up your workouts into smaller sessions several times a day.
* Eat right. Choosing foods that are low in fat and high in fiber can help your body shed extra pounds and control blood sugar. High fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans.
* Maintain a healthy weight. Losing at least five to ten percent of your current body weight (if you are overweight) has the potential to reverse pre-diabetes. Establishing a regular exercise routine, monitoring your calorie intake and making healthy food choices are essential to long-term weight loss and maintenance.
* Get your rest. Recent studies show that getting at least six hours of sleep each night can reduce the insulin resistance that often accompanies pre-diabetes.

Small inprovements in diet and exercise can help you gain the momentum you need to make important improvements in your overall health.