Can you test your blood sugar level at home?

People can test their blood sugar levels at home using glucose meters, states Mayo Clinic. These devices measure glucose levels in small amounts of blood that are placed on a testing strip and then read by the meter.

The most accurate readings from glucose meters are derived from blood taken from the fingertip, notes Mayo Clinic. Typically, the patient should wash and dry his hands, insert a test strip into the meter and prick his fingertip with a lancet. He then squeezes his finger until a drop of blood forms and holds the test strip to the blood. The meter displays his blood glucose level on a screen. While some meters allow testing in sites other than the finger, the results may not be as accurate.