How to Track Your Blood Sugar Levels and Why it’s Important

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) have been getting some attention lately and we wanted to talk about what a CGM is, why it’s useful, why it’s important to know about your blood glucose levels, and what to ask your physician.

What is a CGM?

A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is a monitor that is placed partially under your skin for a specific period of time. This monitor has the technological capability to track your blood sugar levels at any given time. It also sends this information to a device that you have on hand that stores your information. This tracking system allows you to see which foods spike your blood sugar and which foods don’t. Just because a food is deemed “healthy” doesn’t necessarily mean that it is healthy for you and your particular biological constitution.

CGM’s help you learn how to:

Regulate your blood sugar through stress management and diet.
Track how your body processes certain foods.
Eat the foods that work best with your constitution.
Time your meals out correctly.
Regulate your hormones by controlling your blood sugar.

Who can benefit from CGM:

Pre-diabetic patients
Type II Diabetic patients
People with hormonal imbalances
People with mood fluctuations
Women with insulin-resistant PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Anyone looking to make some positive changes around their food choices

Why is it important to know what your blood sugar levels are?

Getting ahead of your blood sugar levels is essential for preventing possible future illnesses.
If you have high blood sugar levels, you may become insulin resistant which may turn into Type II Diabetes and cause complications.
Hormones and blood sugar work hand-in-hand. By maintaining a healthy blood sugar level, you are, in turn, balancing your hormones.
The Standard American Diet has created many pre-existing conditions and comorbidities for millions of Americans. By being informed about your own body and how it processes food and stress, you can help prevent future illnesses.
Sugar disrupts hormonal balance and interrupts many vital processes. By limiting the foods that spike your blood sugar levels, you can create an optimal internal environment for your physical body to thrive.

A note about stress:

Stress management is crucial to managing blood sugar levels. Because cortisol, the stress hormone that is released when we are under a lot of stress, disrupts the body’s ability to process blood sugar. So even if you are eating healthy foods, or eating the “perfect” diet for your particular body, if you are under a lot of stress, that food may not be getting appropriately processed. This is yet another reason why a CGM would be helpful in tracking if that is happening to you.

*As with all things, we recommend speaking to your physician about whether a CGM is right for you and ask them for recommendations on where to purchase one. Also, ask if they’d be willing to help you interpret your results and how you can apply what you’ve learned to your eating habits and choices along with stress management techniques.

Be well,

Dr. Erika Horowitz & Staff