This piece appears in Optimizer, a weekly newsletter authored by Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that examines the newest gadgets and treatments that claim to transform your life. Readers can sign up for Optimizer through the provided link.
On an overcast Saturday morning, I prepared for my twelfth blood draw in the past six weeks, marking my twenty‑fourth sample taken this year. By now I consider myself seasoned in the process. I arrange the appointments for early morning to avoid feeling irritable, download the necessary requisition forms in advance, refrain from any vigorous exercise for a full day beforehand, and make sure to drink a glass of water so that my small veins are more accessible to the phlebotomist.