Best Glucose Meter for Diabetes and Blood Sugar Monitoring
It’s important to check your blood sugar levels when you’re managing diabetes. It helps to understand how your body reacts to different foods, whether it’s something as simple as chocolate or something as simple as a piece of toast. If you want to better monitor your blood sugar to understand your health, or simply want to understand how certain foods and activities affect your blood sugar levels, the right blood glucose monitor can help.
Finding the best blood glucose monitor for you can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of factors and options. It’s a crowded market, which is good because you’re likely to find a product that suits your needs, but there’s also a downside because the choices can be confusing. You can choose a simple monitor that reports your blood sugar levels and provides accurate results, or if you want to go a step further, you can choose one of the options with some high-tech features, such as Bluetooth functionality, so that you can send the results Your blood sample is transferred directly to your phone. No matter your reason for using a blood glucose meter, it’s important to find a good one. Even though you may not need it, we’re in the middle of the holidays right now, these can make A thoughtful gift for the person who has everything..
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There are other factors to keep in mind when purchasing a blood glucose test kit. The cost of the test strips, the quality of the blood collection device, how much blood the meter requires to give an accurate reading, and whether it can provide results quickly.
I interviewed two doctors to get their insights on what to look for when purchasing a blood glucose meter. The five blood glucose meters below have been handpicked based on physician choice and selected from bestseller lists and online reviews. We update this list regularly.
As always, talk to your doctor before purchasing a blood glucose monitor. They can help you determine which blood glucose meter is best for your medical needs.
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Freestyle Libre is a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that eliminates the need to prick your finger. It has a thin sensor that you insert under your skin (without pain) and wear it all day long. You then use your device to scan the sensor to get a blood glucose reading.
“For those interested in getting a deeper understanding of their blood sugar levels, I often recommend the Freestyle Libre for continuous blood glucose monitoring,” said Dr. Nate Favini, the company’s medical director. forward. “By putting a sensor on your arm, you can continuously track your blood sugar levels throughout the day and learn what causes them to rise and fall. People are often surprised that foods they thought were good for their blood sugar levels might be affecting their blood sugar levels.” Continuous glucose monitors are more expensive, but they can help you understand what types of foods and exercises are best for you. “
Keep in mind that even if you use a CGM, you may still need to use a fingerstick blood monitor to take blood glucose readings. You may also be eligible for a free trial of Freestyle Libre CGM, which can give you a chance to try it out for free.
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Dr. Josh Emdur, Medical Director Stable MDrecommends Dexcom G6, a CGM for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. “I find continuous glucose monitoring to be a valuable tool in managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes,” he said. “CGM data provides actionable insights to help patients track their glycemic responses to dietary choices and activity levels.”
The Dexcom G6 is similar to the Freestyle Libre in that it continuously monitors your body’s blood sugar levels via a small sensor inserted into your skin, but you don’t need to scan to get a blood sugar level reading. Your readings are sent wirelessly to the Dexcom handheld device, or you can pair it with your smartphone or Apple Watch via the app.
Prices may vary depending on the policy.
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The Contour Next One Blood Glucose Monitor is a best-selling product on Walmart.com. The test kit is very affordable at less than $35. This glucose monitor is easy to use and provides 5-second readings, plus it connects to the Contour Diabetes app via Bluetooth to record your readings to share with your doctor.
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The ReliOn Prime is one of the most affordable options for blood glucose meters. Keep in mind that you still need to purchase the strips separately. At Walmart, a box of 50 bars costs $14. The ReliOn can store up to 250 blood glucose readings so you can go back and review previous readings, but there’s no smartphone or app pairing. If you want a simple meter to help you run multiple tests per day, this is a great choice.
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The Care Touch Blood Glucose System is the #1 selling blood glucose meter on Amazon. This kit is a great value, getting everything you need to test your blood sugar for only $30. The kit includes the Care Touch meter, lancing device, lancet, test strips and carrying case. After testing your blood sugar, you’ll get the results within 5 seconds, and the meter can store up to 300 readings for long-term monitoring. If you’ve never used a meter before, this kit is great for getting started at an affordable price.
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