A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is an amazing piece of tech that makes the life of so many diabetics much easier to manage! It measures blood glucose levels in real-time, making it easier than a finger prick for diabetics to understand their levels and administer insulin accordingly. However the readings can also help anyone understand
their body’s unique responses to food, exercise, and lifestyle factors.
For everyone, diabetic or not, glucose is a primary fuel source. It powers our cells, supports brain function, and affects everything from mood to stamina. But while glucose provides essential energy, its levels fluctuate throughout the day, based on food, activity, stress, and sleep. High variability, especially with frequent spikes and crashes, can lead to
energy dips, increased hunger, irritability, and poor focus.
For me as a ‘non-diabetic but extremely interested nutritionist’ I've been keen to try one for a while to see how it works, what data it provides, and if I would learn anything about myself. I did it for 10 days, using a Dexcom G7 and here are my takeaways…..
Firstly, getting started I have to admit that I had two failed sensors before I finally received one that worked. However the shipping and customer service was very thorough and quick in getting it sorted and I had a new one in the mail within a couple of days each time (highly recommend doing the process online through their website as on the phone was very tedious).
Setting up the sensor is straightforward using an app on your phone. You apply the sensor to the skin (a small needle in a convenient applicator that I didn’t even feel) and it syncs via bluetooth, taking continuous readings (every 5 minutes) all day and night. Yes, your phone does need to be within about 6 metres at all times.
The Good:
The data you see on the app is really clear, it shows trends over time and I enjoyed seeing how certain meals made my blood sugars spike or drop. As I have a pretty solid understanding of nutrition and the way I eat reflects that, it wasn’t a surprise to see that my blood sugars remain pretty stable, with just small fluctuations within the ‘normal’ range. I never went above the upper limit, but sometimes after long runs if I didn’t eat soon enough I would drop below the lower limit. Also not surprising as I could tell by my low energy. This helped to remind me to get fuel, especially protein, in more quickly after a hard training session.
Food is not just the only thing that affects blood glucose levels; lack of sleep, stress and exercise can all affect it quite dramatically and this is really interesting to see. I was wearing my monitor while I had quite a severe skiing accident and my blood sugars rose as close to the upper limit as I saw the whole 10 days. Such an interesting thing to understand how adrenaline and cortisol in response to stress can skyrocket blood sugar levels. An important physiological reaction to help us deal with the stressor, but not helpful if that’s happening regularly in response to things that are not an actual reason to fear.
The not so good:
Wearing one is a little glitchy if you're a side sleeper like me. The pressure on my arm would constantly make the sensor think I was having an urgent low and would set off alarms. These were LOUD. Obviously this would be more important if I was actually diabetic, but it was quite annoying for many nights as it woke me up, until I figured out how to disable the alarms.
Blood glucose fluctuations are NORMAL. It’s part of the normal response to eating food that your blood glucose will raise and lower as the food is digested. The goal is not to have blood glucose that is a flat line, but for the layperson I can see it being something that’s easy to worry about and stress over if there is a lack of understanding. Let’s face it, unless you’ve studied medicine or work with this on a regular basis most people
aren’t going to understand. My worry is that the fluctuations are something the average person could easily stress about, and likely unnecessarily so.
Should I get one?
If you’re someone who doesn’t understand how different types of meals affect your blood glucose levels and you notice significant energy crashes throughout the day on a consistent basis, then a CGM may be a great learning experience for you. For some people it can be surprising how things they consider ‘healthy’ may affect an individual
differently depending on their unique genetics. Every one, and every food is different so you may find valuable information into why things are happening in your body and what types of foods or meals or lifestyle choices may be negatively affecting you.
Exercise has a significant impact on glucose, which the CGM makes visible in real-time. A walk after a meal, for example, often keeps glucose from spiking, while more intense exercise can temporarily raise levels before causing a drop. This insight is particularly helpful for athletes who want to time their meals and workouts for peak performance
so if that's you, it could be helpful.
Another surprising insight for many non-diabetics is the impact of sleep on glucose. Sleep deprivation often leads to higher glucose levels throughout the day. Using a CGM, you can actually see how a rough night’s sleep translates into elevated glucose, helping you connect the dots between lifestyle factors and metabolic health. If you need a kick up
the bum to sleep more, or improve your sleep hygiene this could be helpful for you.
Otherwise if you’ve got pretty good energy, sleep well and feel like you’ve got a handle on your nutrition then this is probably one bio-hacking gadget that you might not need. You decided what is best for you and of course be guided by your health care professional.
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