Try these needle–free diabetes tests to monitor blood sugar levels

Diabetes is a lifestyle disease suffered by more than 50 billion people worldwide. Identifying the disease at an early stage can help reduce the complexities to a certain extent. However, many people fear needles, which dissuades them from regular blood sugar monitoring. These are three methods of testing blood sugar levels without pricking your fingertips.

1) Continuous glucose metre
A sensor is fixed under your skin to monitor your blood sugar level at regular intervals. Usually, this sensor is attached to the stomach area, and it is synced with a mobile phone application. The application will give the user warnings if the blood sugar levels are dangerously low or high. However, the user needs to prick the finger and take blood once a day to calibrate this device.

2) Freestyle libre
Freestyle libre sensors are also worn on the skin. However, this device does not give continuous readings; instead, it scans and monitors the glucose levels whenever necessary.

3) Urine test
Blood sugar levels can be monitored by dipping a test strip in urine. However, this only monitors sugar levels in urine, not blood.

The most effective method
Pricking the fingertips and taking a tiny droplet of blood is the most effective method of monitoring blood sugar levels, though many individuals hate the pricking part of the test. You can try these hacks to reduce the pain during finger pricks.
a) Pricking on the side of the finger instead of the centre would be less painful as this area is less sensitive.
b) Do not use an alcohol rub before pricking as it increases the sensitivity. Try washing the hands using soap and water.
c)  Rub your palms together to warm them as coldness would increase the skin sensitivity.
d) It is better to prick on different fingers than taking blood from the same finger always.