A Beginners guide to C.G.M. (Continuous Glucose Monitoring)

If you have diabetes or know someone that has then you may have heard of Continuous Glucose Monitoring C.G.M. . But, whether you’ve heard of the term or not, do you really know what it means?

Continuous Glucose Monitoring is, put simply, a method of monitoring the glucose levels in your blood. It is possible to check your blood sugar level with by taking a little blood and testing it, this is something that many diabetics do.

However, this means remembering to do it, the pain of pricking yourself all the time, and you’ll get a sporadic picture of your blood sugar levels. After all, it can only tell you the blood sugar level at the time you take your test. This will be subject to many variables, including what and when you last ate and drank.

The Difference With C.G.M (Continuous Glucose Monitoring)

CGM devices are small and discrete. They are taped to your skin and a small sensor wire is inserted just under your skin. Once it’s in place there is no annoying pain several times a day, in virtually no time you’ll forget it’s there.

The sensor monitors your blood glucose level by reading the interstitial fluid constantly throughout the day and night. This information is passed to the unit which is then sent via a transmitter to a cell phone, tablet, or even your computer.

You’ll need an app to receive the data, you’ll then be able to view it in virtually any format whenever you want.

The Real Benefit Of C.G.M

Monitoring your blood sugar level is essential for the management of diabetes or prediabetes. If your blood sugar level goes too high or too low it can have serious consequences for your health, it can even lead to death.

Unfortunately, monitoring via the prick test will give you an inaccurate picture of your blood sugar level. CGM allows you to see it at every point of the day and night. By transferring this into a graph image you’ll quickly be able to spot any trends and detect any behavior or eating patterns that are detrimental to your blood sugar levels.

In short, you’ll have much more knowledge about your sugar levels and what to do about them.

As an added bonus the CGM device can be linked, via your cell phone, to the emergency services. If your blood sugar level becomes dangerous the health authorities can be alerted and send the appropriate response if necessary.

A CGM device could literally save your life!

Who Should Have A Continuous Glucose Monitoring (C.G.M)?

It is recommended that anyone with type 1 diabetes is fitted with a CGM. However, if you have type 2 diabetes you should also consider this option;especially if you’re having multiple insulin injections.

It can help to prevent your condition from worsening, with proper medical support and lifestyle changes.

If you have hypoglycemia you may also benefit from using a CGM system.

But, remember that this is an aid, you’ll need to act on the information provided for it to be an effective aid.