How Do Diabetic Test Strips Work

Diabetic test strips are used to detect blood sugar levels in the body. These small pieces of paper, about the size of a credit card, come individually wrapped and you place them into your meter (a device that measures the amount of glucose in your blood). Test strips work by measuring how much glucose is present in a tiny drop of blood from your fingertip or palm. Many places sell diabetic test strips.

To use test strips, first, take a finger prick with a lancet to draw out some blood and put it on one end of the strip. Then touch the other end of the strip to where it has been inserted into your meter and wait for it to show you what level they’re at!

The following is a list of the most common reasons why you might need to use test strips:

To monitor your blood sugar levels according to treatment recommendations from your doctor or diabetes educator. This helps make sure that you are managing any diabetes complications and get an idea of how healthy certain foods may be for someone with type two diabetes.

Frequent testing may also help reduce the risk for life-threatening events such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), too high glucose levels, ketoacidosis, coma, or death in people who have either type one or type two diabetes. It can also help manage fluctuations in insulin dosage if they’re needed because different times of day require different amounts, which can affect glycemic control significantly enough to need a change.

To track how well your diet is managing glycemic levels, which can help you decide whether or to what extent insulin needs may be met by food intake only. If this method of treatment (diet and exercise) isn’t effective enough on its own, then the doctor might recommend adding in an additional medication like Metformin to their current regimen as well.

If someone has type two diabetes they typically have high blood sugar because not getting it into healthy ranges fast enough after eating causes glucose to build up in the bloodstream while waiting for insulin levels from natural production or injected doses to return them back down again – so people with type one who inject themselves will usually carry test strips around with them at all times just in case.