Blood Glucose Meters or Urine Test Strips – Which is Best to Monitor your Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that needs to be monitored very closely. One way to do that is by using a blood glucose meter, but there are other ways as well, such as urine test strips. Along with exercise, diabetic diet (incorporating diabetic recipes into your life), and medications, testing and monitoring your glucose levels is extremely important. But which is better, blood glucose meters or urine test strips? There are several factors to consider in that choice.

Blood Glucose Meters

Blood glucose meters take a tiny amount of your blood by using a small needle to puncture the skin of your finger or, more recently, the arm, leg, hip, or stomach. They then use that blood on a small test strip to determine your blood sugar level, and display it on a screen in the form of a number. Blood glucose meters are extremely accurate, making it easy to monitor and keep track of whether your latest diabetic recipes and your newly formed diabetic diet is working. Your finger or other body part has to be pricked with every testing occurrence, however, which can be frustrating and lead to sore fingers.

Urine Test Strips
Urine test strips work almost like a home pregnancy test. The testing strip is dipped into a container of urine, then placed in a meter or observed for the measurement of glucose. Urine test strips are not at all painful, which gives them a big advantage over blood glucose meters. However, urine test strips are also not as accurate as the glucose meter, giving it a distinct disadvantage. Because all the exercise, diabetic recipes and diabetic diet plans in the world cannot help if you do not have accurate results, so blood glucose meters are actually the best choice even though they are slightly more painful.