Should I Try Continuous Glucose Monitoring?

For most people with diabetes, monitoring your blood glucose with finger sticks is part of daily life. However, more and more people with diabetes are putting their blood glucose meters aside to try continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

“CGMs are a great tool to facilitate diabetes education,” said Amanda Crosby, certified diabetes educator at Franciscan Healthy Living Center Lafayette. “These monitoring devices also improve diabetes self-management and problem-solving skills.”

How Does Continuous Glucose Monitoring Work?

A CGM device uses an electrochemical process to sense the amount of glucose in your interstitial fluid, providing continuous 24-hour glucose readings. Continuous glucose monitors use:

• A sensor inserted into interstitial fluid space in your skin
• A transmitter
• A receiver (pump, phone or reader)

There are several benefits of continuous glucose monitoring, including:

• Decreased potential for hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes
• Identifying trends associated with stress, foods and exercise, with can help with medication adjustments
• Receiving immediate feedback on glucose levels
• Alerting you to blood glucose lows and highs (available on some devices)
• Rate of change alarms to help prevent lows and highs
• Ability to share data easily with family or healthcare providers

Some continuous glucose monitors have alerts to notify you if you’re outside of your target glucose range, as well as arrows that trend up and down to help you recognize if your glucose levels are dropping or spiking.

“Metering a few times a day gives you only a snapshot of your levels,” Crosby said. “CGMs can be a great tool to help fix lows, highs, and to improve glucose management for a healthier you.”

Am I Eligible For Continuous Glucose Monitoring?

Experts suggest that the best candidates for continuous glucose monitoring include patients with: 

• A fear or unawareness of hypoglycemia/glucose lows
• Frequent glucose checks
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes requiring multiple daily insulin injections
• Visual disabilities or dexterity struggles

Diabetes experts caution against using a continuous glucose monitor when you don’t have diabetes, explaining that it can lead to unhealthy behavior and disordered eating. Glucose levels for non-diabetics should be relatively consistent, with no signs of insulin resistance in cells and muscles.

If you feel like you might be at risk for diabetes, schedule an appointment with your physician to discuss regular A1c checks and ways to create a healthy lifestyle.

How Do I Know If Continuous Glucose Monitoring Is A Good Fit For Me?

Like any new technology, integrating CGM into your daily life can have a few bumps during the adjustment phase. The most common CGM challenges include:

• Knowing when to finger stick test to verify your CGM reading is correct
• Learning how to navigate CGM technology and share data with your physician
• Possible discomfort wearing the small sensor 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Proper sensor insertion and keeping your sensor secure
• Understanding how to use the CGM data and making appropriate changes to improve glucose 

However, the accuracy of continuous glucose monitors makes it worth the learning curve — and your diabetes educator is here to help.

“We can work together to determine the cause of your glucose issues,” Crosby said. “Skipping medications, consuming too many carbohydrates, and stress are factors that can make your blood glucose too low or too high.”

A Helpful Tool For Diabetes Management

Although continuous glucose monitors are very accurate, regular bloodwork is still essential for effective diabetes management. 

“A continuous glucose monitor can give you an estimated A1c, but even for patients meeting their treatment goals, it’s still important to have A1c bloodwork completed at least twice a year,” Crosby said. “For patients who recently changed their therapy or those not meeting their glycemic goals, A1c should be checked every three months.”

If you’re on the fence about trying continuous glucose monitoring, try it for 10 to 14 days to get an accurate picture of how your body is responding to food, exercise, stress, and medication. CGM monitoring can also reduce diabetes risks and complications.

Are you interested in learning more about continuous glucose monitoring? Talk with your physician to see if it would be a good fit for your diabetes management.