CGMs, “continuous glucose monitors,” show real time continuous glucose levels. This gives a more comprehensive picture of how your body is responding to food and activity. These fluctuations provide a curve, which gives you a lot of information. We carry CGMs at Biohackr Health, and we feel they give great insights into health.
What Do Continuous Glucose Monitors Measure?
When eating a meal, your sugar rise height and rapidity are determined by:
- Portion size
- Rate of digestion
- Time of day
- Insulin
It is good to understand where you are starting from. Looking at your fasting base levels of glucose let you know where you are starting from. You can see your fasting level in the morning before you eat or drink anything. Ideally, you want to see this number be under 100. As it goes above that, it can indicate prediabetes or diabetes. This is something to discuss with your doctor.
What Do You Want to See in Your Glucose Curve?
You want to see glucose stay within an ideal range of 70-140, with rises that stay ideally below 140 – 180. You want to see slow rises up and flatter, blunter declines. There are ways to improve the glucose curve: exercise generally and walking after meals, eating smaller meals with less sugar and processed foods, “preloading” a meal with eating the protein and fat before carbohydrates, avoiding stress, getting good sleep, and medications, if needed.
- SPIKES: You do not want to see a spike. High rapid spikes indicate poor glucose control.
- VARIABILITY: Swings and fluctuations indicate significant swings in blood sugar.
- SLOW THE CURVE with things that digest more slowly. High fiber, solid foods (eat an apple not drink apple juice), higher fat content, cold foods, undercooked or underripe foods, non-processed foods.
Look at your curve. Every person is different. You want to chart your meals and activity and then see how those affect your blood sugar. Tweak things. If you eat a different breakfast, does that change the curve? If you take a 10 minute walk after a meal, does that change the curve? Does eating half a bagel instead of a whole bagel change it? If you add an egg or cream cheese does that alter it? Does eating the steak and broccoli before eating the rice help lower the curve? If you eat dessert, does that change your curve? If that dessert is ice cream (more fat) versus a cookie (more simple sugars), does that make a difference? How did you sleep last night?
Get to know YOU. Your genetics and body are different from everyone else. CGMs have been revolutionary, as they give a deeper, complex vision of how eating and exercise affect you. Learn your patterns and you can biohack for better health more effectively.
At Biohackr Health, we have:
- CGMs
- Metformin
- Semaglutide and tirzepatide
- NAD+
- Glucose control probiotic
- Insulin panel labwork, including HbA1c
- Education. Read our extensive blogs on blood sugar and glucose, citing studies and science.
