Importance of continuous glucose monitoring in managing diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is a condition characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from the body’s inability to produce or use insulin effectively. This condition can lead to serious health complications, including heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, and blindness, if not managed effectively.
Managing diabetes is a complex and challenging process that requires constant monitoring and adjustments to one’s lifestyle and medication. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an important tool that can help individuals with diabetes manage their condition more effectively.
What is Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
Continuous glucose monitoring is a type of diabetes management system that utilizes a small sensor inserted under the skin to continuously measure the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid (fluid surrounding cells) in the body. The sensor communicates with a receiver that displays the glucose levels in real-time allowing the individual to monitor their glucose levels more often and make decisions about their medication and lifestyle.
CGM provides an additional level of control and knowledge about one’s blood glucose patterns to help manage diabetes. This tool often helps to prevent high or low blood glucose, which can result in symptoms such as weakness, confusion, loss of consciousness, and even life-threatening complications.
Who can benefit from Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
Continuous glucose monitoring is recommended for individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who:
• Experience frequent high or low blood sugar levels
• Want better data to fine-tune their diabetes management regimen.
• Have trouble recognizing the symptoms of low blood sugar.
• Want a better understanding of their glucose levels throughout the day and at night.
Continuous glucose monitoring is especially beneficial for individuals with diabetes who have a history of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. It can also be useful for those with irregular eating or exercise habits or those who are taking insulin.
Benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring
Continuous glucose monitoring provides a range of benefits, including:
1. Better glucose control: CGM provides more frequent glucose data, allowing individuals with diabetes to make decisions about their medication and lifestyle quickly. This tool helps to improve blood sugar control and reduce the risk of diabetes complications.
2. Reduced risk of hypoglycemia: CGM can detect early signs of low blood sugar, allowing individuals to respond appropriately, and prevent severe hypoglycemia.
3. Improved quality of life: CGM can reduce the need for finger-prick checks, and provide better control that lowers the risk of diabetes complications. This tool can result in improved sleep quality and lower stress levels for individuals with diabetes.
4. More opportunities for exercise and physical activity: Individuals with diabetes use CGM can make decisions about their treatment recommendations to exercise more frequently and more aggressively confidently. They can respond in real-time to the changes in glucose levels during exercise.
5. Improved communication with healthcare providers: The data obtained from CGM can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individual's glucose levels, allowing them to collaborate more effectively with their healthcare provider to obtain individualized management recommendations.
Continuous glucose monitoring can help individuals with diabetes achieve better glycemic control, reducing the risks of complications, and improving their overall quality of life.
How to use Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
To use a CGM system successfully is the following process:
1. Get a prescription: CGM devices require a prescription from a healthcare provider. A healthcare provider can advise individuals with diabetes on the best CGM system for them.
2. Insert the sensor: The small sensor is inserted under the skin to measure interstitial fluid glucose levels. A healthcare provider or a trainer can insert it.
3. Calibrate the device: The CGM system requires calibration, the first time it is used and requires regular calibration. Calibration requires a fingerstick test to check the accuracy of the reading. People can calibrate the device as recommended by the manufacturer or healthcare provider.
4. Wear and monitor the device: The device can be worn continuously, but should be removed when showering, swimming, or undergoing medical procedures with strong electromagnetic fields. Individuals monitor their glucose levels and follow the treatment plan recommended by their healthcare provider based on the data obtained from the device.
Conclusion
Diabetes management is an ongoing process. People with diabetes require a range of treatment strategies, including medications, lifestyle changes, and monitoring blood glucose levels more closely. Continuous glucose monitoring provides individuals with diabetes a comprehensive understanding of their glucose fluctuations throughout the day and how well they are managing their diabetes. This tool provides real-time data that helps individuals make better decisions about their treatment plan, reducing the risks of short-term and long-term diabetes complications. CGM is an important tool for anyone with diabetes who desires improved control of their glucose levels for better health outcomes and quality of life.