I don't have diabetes. Should I wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)?

Yes! We highly recommend it. Even Dr. Retzler's healthiest patients have had valuable insights as well as surprises by daily monitoring of their glucose levels.

A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), like the SteLo CGM, can be a helpful tool for managing insulin resistance by providing real-time data on how your body responds to various foods, activities, and other factors affecting blood sugar levels. CGMs are devices that monitor glucose levels in real-time, typically using a sensor inserted under the skin.

How the SteLo CGM Can Help with Insulin Resistance:

1. Real-Time Blood Sugar Monitoring:

   • A CGM continuously tracks glucose levels throughout the day and night. This allows you to see how your body responds to meals, exercise, stress, and even sleep, helping you make more informed choices.

2. Immediate Feedback on Dietary Choices:

   • By tracking how certain foods affect your glucose levels, a CGM can guide you to avoid foods that cause spikes in blood sugar. For example, after consuming a meal high in refined carbohydrates or sugar, the CGM can show how quickly and sharply your blood sugar rises, prompting you to adjust future meal choices.

3. Identifying Hidden Patterns:

   • You may discover patterns like higher blood sugar in the morning (dawn phenomenon), dips during periods of inactivity, or how stress and lack of sleep impact your glucose levels.

4. Improving Insulin Sensitivity:

   • You can track how exercise impacts your glucose. Regular physical activity is known to improve insulin sensitivity, and a CGM can show how exercise reduces blood sugar after a meal.

5. More Precise Medication Management:

   • If you’re on medication like metformin or insulin, a CGM can help fine-tune doses based on how your glucose levels respond, especially in collaboration with your healthcare provider.

6. Encourages Accountability and Motivation:

   • Seeing the immediate effects of your lifestyle choices can motivate you to maintain better eating and exercise habits. It provides a sense of control and immediate feedback that’s often lacking with traditional blood sugar monitoring methods.

Features of the SteLo CGM:

• Easy to Use: Like other CGMs, the SteLo sensor is placed on the skin and is relatively easy to apply. It remains in place for a set period (usually 10-14 days).
• App Integration: The SteLo CGM integrates with a smartphone app, allowing you to view real-time data and trends in glucose levels over time.
• Custom Alerts: You can set up personalized alerts to notify you if your blood sugar falls below or rises above your target range, which can help you avoid extreme highs (hyperglycemia) or lows (hypoglycemia).
• Continuous Insights: Unlike finger-prick tests, which provide a snapshot at one moment, a CGM like SteLo provides continuous insight into glucose trends, offering a fuller picture of your metabolic health.

Benefits of Using a CGM for Insulin Resistance:

• Personalized Data: Everyone responds differently to food, exercise, and stress. A CGM gives you data that’s specific to you, allowing for more tailored lifestyle changes.
• Preventing Blood Sugar Spikes: By identifying and preventing blood sugar spikes, you can reduce stress on the pancreas and improve insulin sensitivity over time.
• Long-Term Health: Keeping glucose levels in a healthy range may help prevent complications related to insulin resistance, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and more.

How to Get the Most from a CGM:

• Track Meals and Activities: Keep a log of what you eat, your exercise routines, and other daily habits. Compare them to your glucose trends to see which behaviors affect your blood sugar the most.
• Collaborate with Your Doctor: Share your CGM data with your healthcare provider to help adjust medications, plan better meals, and make other health decisions.
• Set Goals: Use the information from your CGM to set goals, like reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes or maintaining a more stable glucose level throughout the day.

Incorporating the SteLo CGM into a Comprehensive Plan:

While the SteLo CGM is a great tool, it’s important to pair it with other strategies to manage insulin resistance effectively:

• Healthy Diet: Use the CGM to monitor how foods affect your glucose and optimize your diet.
• Exercise: Track how physical activity improves your glucose control over time.
• Sleep and Stress: Notice how poor sleep or high stress levels affect your glucose, and take steps to improve these areas.
• Medication (if necessary): Work with your doctor to ensure any medications are helping manage insulin resistance effectively, possibly adjusting them based on CGM data.

A CGM like SteLo can be a game-changer in understanding and managing insulin resistance by providing continuous and personalized feedback on your lifestyle choices. This real-time data helps make informed decisions to improve insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health.