How to track your blood glucose & why you should you care.
When it comes to our body, we are often unaware of what is actually going on internally and how we are producing energy to go about our daily lives. To understand more we should start with blood glucose. Why? Because I believe it gives us the biggest bang for our buck!
Glucose is the preferred energy source of every cell in our body (think fuel to run the cell’s engine). Your heart cells need it to contract, your eye cells need it see, your skin cells need it to heal, your white blood cells need it to fight infections, your stomach cells need it to digest our food.
Blood glucose is tightly regulated by the body and fluctuates throughout the day in response to what we eat, how we sleep and move. When we have an abundance and our energy needs are met, our body converts the excess glucose into fat which stores in adipose (fat) tissue. In essence, we gain weight and become insulin resistant.
Insulin resistance often results in prolonged elevated blood glucose which can wreak havoc on your health both in the short term and long term. For example, increased inflammation, mood swings, weight gain, poor sleep, cravings, and fatigue just to name a few.
It is simple and affordable to assess your blood glucose…. read on if this appeals to you.
In this article you will learn:
How you can measure your blood glucose in response to diet and lifestyle.
What is a continuous blood glucose monitor & how does it work?
The benefits of understanding your blood glucose
How to get access to a CGM
Measuring blood glucose.
Typically, blood glucose is most commonly measured via a blood test. While this is a useful marker for assessing patients’ levels at that point in time, it does not give the full picture of what is happening throughout our day.
If you have been told your blood glucose is “healthy” that is great! But maybe you don’t feel great…. you feel exhausted after meals, you’re not sleeping well and despite your best efforts to eat healthy, you need a quick sugar fix to get through the day. These symptoms could all point to blood glucose dysregulation, where glucose levels might be fluctuating or remaining elevated for a prolonged period of time.
Just like we expect our heart rate to rise with exercise and then lower to resting once we recover, we should also expect our blood glucose levels to return to a healthy range after meals. One way we can collect this data is by wearing a device called a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).
What are the benefits?
In general, lower fasting blood glucose and minimizing peaks and troughs throughout your day will lead to many health benefits such as:
Increased energy & reduced fatigue
Stable mood
Reduced inflammation
Hormone regulation
Improved sleep
Reduced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Improved memory
Improved skin health
Improved heart health
Reduced digestive complaints
A CGM allows you to understand how your body is responding to your diet and lifestyle. It is an extremely powerful tool for anyone who is looking to improve or optimise their health.
It can be truly life changing when you apply personalised strategies to regulate your blood glucose fluctuations.
How CGM works.
A CGM is applied to the back of your arm and remains active continuously for 14 days. After 14 days the CGM will expire and stop reading your blood glucose. At which point it simply and painlessly peels off. It is very easy to apply by yourself in the privacy of your own home. The CGM reads your blood glucose concentration through a tiny flexible ultrathin filament that painlessly pierces the skin. You can do all your normal activities. You don’t feel it at all!
I recommend the Freestyle Libre 2 CGM for my patients. I have personally used one and it did not stop me from doing anything I would normally do. The only thing to avoid is soaking in hot water as this may affect the adhesive that keeps the monitor attached to your skin.
Once connected through the LibreLink App your Freestyle Libre 2 CGM can scan your blood glucose levels using your smart phone at any time.
To gain the best information about how your body regulates blood glucose, I have developed clear guidelines and will teach you how and when to track your blood glucose to ensure we get the best information possible. The LibreLink app allows you to link to your CGM data with your medical partitioner.
How to get access to a CGM?
It is important to work with a practitioner who is trained in blood glucose monitoring.
At Integrative Osteo Care, I am excited to offer my patient access to the FreeStyle Libre 2. Patients will require a consultation to assist in applying and setting up your Freestyle Libre 2 CGM. You will also be instructed on how and when to scan the device, record your diet, sleep, and exercise as these all have important impacts on blood glucose.
COST
Freestyle Libre 2 CGM: $105 per monitor
Start-up Consultation 30 mins: $100
Review Consultation 30 mins: $100
Total: $305
If you are interested in finding out more about CGM please reach out via the contact page.