This episode is bought to you by Quell — to help support rebuilding healthy skin from the outside-in + inside-out!
Take $10 off your next order! Use promo code QUELL10 at check out — Get started HERE!
– – –
If you’re curious to try a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), this episode is a must-watch!
Blood sugar regulation and metabolic health are HOT topics right now, and considering that some skin issues (like psoriasis) make you prone towards having issues, I frequently have these conversations with clients.
Being that I’m perimenopause with a family history of diabetes, I thought it would be a good idea to try a over the counter CGM monitor purely to gain insight into my blood sugar balance and metabolic health.
The most frequent question is “is trying a continous glucose monitor worth it?”…
While using a CGM monitor is quite straightforward, I can see why someone might wonder about this. And while I went into my two-week experiment with a bit of skepticism, I discovered a few crazy important things that I couldn’t have figured out any other way.
So let’s dive into why I do believe that a continuous glucose monitor can be a useful tool, who should (and shouln’t) use this type of device, what the experience was like putting on and removing the CMG monitor, and what I wish I knew before I tried it the first time.
Let’s dive in!
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Subscribe on Android
In This Episode:
- Who should (and shouldn’t) try a continuous glucose monitor
- How to use a CGM monitor
- What I learned about my blood sugar from using an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor
- What NOT to do with a continous glucose monitor (I wish I knew this when I tried it the first time)
- How often should you use a CGM (if you’re not diabetic)?
- CGM monitor tips: What’s actually stuck to your arm?
- The over the counter continuous glucose monitor I tried
Quotes
“And the group of people who I think…should probably work with a nutrition or medical professional while using a CGM would be somebody who has a history of eating disorders…and those who have significant disordered eating patterns. If you feel like knowing that a particular meal or food is going to make you terrified to eat that food, don't do this on your own.”
“The other thing that did seem to spike my blood sugar was when I didn't eat soon enough…if I just pushed through the hunger and pushed off eating in a window of time, that's when I would start to see my blood sugar spike on its own.”
Links
Use THIS LINK to save $50 off of your first month on Nutrisense
Healthy Skin Show ep. 217: Health Concerns Linked to Psoriasis (You SHOULD Know About)
Healthy Skin Show ep. 347: Adult Hormonal Acne + Blood Sugar Dysfunction: What’s The Connection?
369: Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Review (Especially If You Have Psoriasis, Liver Detox or Metabolic Health Concerns) {FULL TRANSCRIPT}
Welcome back to episode 369 of the Healthy Skin Show!
If you've ever wondered what using a continuous glucose monitor is like, it's also called a CGM. Don't worry – I actually tried it out for you!
One of the reasons I did this is because I got asked so many times about what the experience was like, and I figured, why don't I just try it?
So in today's episode, we're going to talk about what exactly a continuous glucose monitor is, why you might want to give it a try, the pros and cons of using an over the counter CGM, how to put it on, how to take it off, and the really shocking things that I learned about my health that I wouldn't have known had I not given it a go.
Because I'm deeply curious about my health and the health of my clients, I love testing out and trialing different products that help give me a different perspective on my health. Because I struggled to use a CGM monitor in a previous attempt about two years ago, I actually wanted to try for a second time.
My first experience was not have a good experience, but at the same time, I felt like the information that I could gain would be really helpful from a metabolic health and blood sugar balance perspective.
And while I'm not diabetic, I have a strong family history to develop diabetes. So it's in our family, whether there's a genetic component or not, or, you know, we just seem to like pasta and bread in my Italian family.
Either way, I really wanted to know what these markers look like at this point in my life, especially being in perimenopause. And I also have many clients that were wildly interested in knowing what the experience was like and whether the investment was worth it.
Some of those clients have psoriasis as well as other metabolic syndrome challenges like elevated liver enzymes or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Some struggle with a slightly elevated hemoglobin A1c, or they're kind of trending towards that pre-diabetic zone, and they're not really sure what's going on.
Yes, there are plenty of people that use continuous glucose monitors for health hacking, but I'm not a health hacker. I really am just genuinely interested and curious in looking at my health (as well as yours) from different perspectives. So that's why I decided to do this!
My intention in using a CGM wasn't to train myself to eat in a particular way so that I wouldn't spike my blood sugar.
Also, I was honestly not motivated to use all of the features of the CGM either (because you can enter in your food and whatnot). I don't have time for that.
So I kept things simple – looking purely at what happens when I eat something in particular or I don't eat regularly or soon enough after working out. And could I discover ways to adjust slightly or accommodate a healthier balance.
Who Should AVOID a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)?
So one question that is worthwhile to answer is “who shouldn’t try a continuous glucose monitor?”.
Since I just described to you who it is good for, there are two groups of people who should work with a nutrition or medical professional while using a continous glucose monitor (CGM).
The first group would include people who have a history of eating disorders – where you really haven't fully healed from that, and you're still potentially triggered by food or just information about how your body reacts to food.
The second group includes those who have significant disordered eating patterns.
If you feel like knowing that a particular meal or food is going to make you terrified to eat that food, don't do this on your own. That kind of information is probably going to be more detrimental.
Getting some support, guidance, and help ensures that you know how to translate the information from your CGM into something that's really usable and that doesn't further contribute to you feeling like food is the enemy.
Getting Started Using A Continuous Glucose Monitor
My experience putting on the CGM was actually pretty easy. You actually attach the little sensor thing, doodad, to this like, I don't even know, it's like a stamper. That's essentially what it is. And the stamper actually puts the continuous glucose monitor sensor on the back of your tricep.
And it's pretty easy to do. You don't need a whole lot of directions on how to do it.
The couple of things that I would say, because it is a very small pinch, it's not painful, but I made the mistake of kind of flexing my tricep. Don't do that. You want to keep your tricep relaxed so that it goes into and really stays within, I think the more like fatty section of the tricep. So that's one tip I can give you.
The other thing, because I had two failed sensor attempts before I finally got a sensor that worked, do not put the cover that goes over top of the sensor on until you know that your sensor is actually working because that thing is super, super sticky and it is really hard to get off.
So yes, you can have sensor failures. And I think the reason that both of my sensors failed was because they were really close to the expiration date, like maybe a month to two weeks away. And so in the future, if it was me and I got a sensor that was that close, I probably would request a separate one. And to be fair, both companies that I have tried did offer me at no charge new sensors.
The reason that I would say I wouldn't put that sticky patch or covering over top of the sensor is because if the sensor doesn't work, it's already sticky on the bottom to hold it to the back of your arm. You then have this other like sticky patch over top of it. And I can just tell you it was quite painful and kind of traumatizing to have to take that whole thing off. So I just wished that I had slowed down and made sure that the sensor actually worked before I went to that next step.
And the other cool thing about this is you don't have to worry if it gets wet. You can actually shower with it on.
The other neat thing you don't have to worry about is whether the sensor will get harmed by taking a shower or a bath. So you can go swimming with it. I think there are certain depths that you can't go below, but if you're just showering or swimming or even taking a bath on a regular basis, there's no issue as long as you have that protective cover on top.
Did Coffee On An Empty Stomach Spike My Blood Sugar?
So I got asked one question over and over again on Instagram, and that is, does coffee on an empty stomach spike your blood sugar?
Now, it's a great question. And at first I was sort of like, well, theoretically, yes, it probably does. Whether it did for me or not, I wasn't quite as concerned because I generally don't drink coffee on an empty stomach.
You guys asked me to do this, so I actually did one day drink coffee on an empty stomach. Now, I don't drink black coffee in all fairness. I usually have a little bit of whole milk and I usually add some like chocolate adaptogens to it so it's not really like black coffee.
BUT I did not find that coffee on an empty stomach caused my blood sugar to spike. However, I am not you. And so the way that your body reacts to coffee on an empty stomach may be a very different reaction.
So again, it's really about that personalized approach and looking at what's going on with your health. And I think that's why using a continuous glucose monitor could be helpful because maybe in your case, it is really important that you consume your daily coffee, which I really love and appreciate every morning with some food.
I will say this, just because the continuous glucose monitor didn’t show a spike doesn't give me the justification to not eat. I like to have coffee with food. But again, you wanna do what's really best for you.
My Big Takeaways From Using a Continous Glucose Monitor
What did I personally learn from using a continuous glucose monitor?
A few really important things! And actually, if you stick with me, I'm going to share with you one thing that I don't think there's any other way that I would have possibly known this. And it has to do with the fact that I was waking up in the middle of the night. So bear with me a moment.
The basic thing that I learned is, number one, that my breakfast does not spike my blood sugar. Thank goodness. Thank goodness on that front. So I can keep eating my favorite breakfast and I'm just A-okay fine. Granted it’s mostly protein-forward with a little bit of fat, a little bit of carbs coming from berries. And obviously, my lovely mocha that I love to have every single day.
Number two – I discovered (to probably no one’s surprise) that gluten-free bread does seem to cause blood sugar spikes, which was kind of a bummer. I don't eat it that often. So I'm not going to stress about it. And it doesn't mean that I can't ever have gluten-free bread in the future, but I could clearly see that when I did have high spikes, it was from gluten-free bread.
Most Surprising Lessons From Using a Continous Glucose Monitor
A couple of lessons that were really helpful from my CGM experiment had to do with timing of food and sleep disturbances.
It became really apparent that not eating at regular intervals or soon after my 60-minute gym workout was a problem. So basically, if I went and worked out and I waited way too long after coming home and I didn't eat, or if I just sort of like pushed through the hunger and pushed off eating in a like window of time, that's when I would start to see my blood sugar spike on its own which is a physiologic stress response.
But the most shocking discovery that I mad had to do with regularly disturbed sleep. I've been trying to figure this out for a long time. Basically, I would generally wake up somewhere around three to three thirty in the morning and struggle to go back to sleep. I wouldn't say every night, but several nights out of the week and I always kind of wondered why exactly that was.
Is it parasites?
Am I stressed?
Is my phase two liver detox not operating properly?
Thanks to the continuous glucose monitor and making sure to scan the device or the sensor in the middle of the night if I did wake up or first thing in the morning when I opened my eyes, is that around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning, my blood sugar was actually dropping! And it was dropping to a level where my body's like, “hey, that's not going to work.”
When that happens, your body will need to mobilize glucose into the blood. And so when blood sugar drops, cortisol spikes up to cause the release of glucose from glycogen. And that gets your glucose level up!
Because of that cortisol spike, I would wake up feeling super anxious and couldn't go back to sleep. All because my blood sugar was crashing in the middle of the night. And I had no idea that that was happening.
And there's no way that if I did like the hemoglobin A1c test, or if I just did, for example, like a single fasting glucose marker. There was no way for me to possibly know that because it's it's you have to be able to see it in that snapshot of time.
Being able to literally SEE that information on the app was really helpful because I was able to adjust how I approach bedtime. And so one of the things that I have found actually really helpful is to have a little small snack that's more protein and fat before bed. And that has actually really helped!
So those were the two big insights that I learned. And I didn't need to track my food in order to kind of figure that out, because I was really just looking at each day in and of itself. knew what I ate. I knew when I ate it. And I could clearly see, you know, what brought on a glucose spike versus what sort of kind of evened out my blood sugar.
How Often Should You Use a Continuous Glucose Monitor?
Another question that I got asked was how often I recommend using a CGM to monitor blood sugar balance.
I think the answer varies on a case-by-case basis.
I personally did it for two weeks and two weeks was more than enough data. I could have possibly gone for a whole month, but I honestly think that it was just like gotten really super annoying for me. And I don't know that I would have been like game for pulling the sensor off and putting another one on. Again, it's not traumatic.
And at that point, towards the end of two weeks, it's like kind of not super sticky to your skin anymore because obviously it's been two weeks. But I felt like I had enough because I had gone through it long enough and paid attention to it long enough that I got what I needed.
So I think maybe doing it like once a year, unless you have distinct blood sugar issues that you're really trying to work with, maybe you have PCOS or you know that you've got metabolic syndrome or you are diabetic – things like that can be really, really helpful on maybe an ongoing basis.
I don't think people need to wear a continuous glucose monitor endlessly.
There are different targeted range goals set by different companies – but I’d be cautious in obsessing over them. I recognize that that's nice, in theory, to stay in a particular range, but having an occasional spike isn’t the end of the world. I’m not advocating eating lots of things that spike your blood sugar all the time, but it's nice sometimes to eat something that may, in that moment, cause a blood sugar spike, right? Like having a piece of gluten-free bread or having some gluten-free pasta (for me personally) is a really nice indulgence. I don't do that every day. I might only have a gluten-free sandwich once a month, but I don't think that it should be used as a reason to avoid it altogether.
If you're not diabetic, you don't have other conditions that would be causing a problem, to just use that as your rationale for just cutting and avoiding certain foods. And I have seen online where influencers and other health professionals have tried these devices and they sort of go down a rabbit hole where now they can't eat very healthy foods. And again, I'm not making a judgment against something like gluten-free bread or gluten-free pasta, but it obviously is more refined.
And so if something “healthy” does actually spike your blood sugar, then it could be good as information. It could be good to make some decisions about it, like how frequently you eat that particular thing.
But I do worry that there's a little bit of a slippery slope. Like I said in the beginning, some individuals, that information for me is just helpful to make better choices for other individuals. And I don't know your circumstances. I would just hate to see that you end up being afraid of food.
And that I don't think should ever be the goal of using something like this.
Tips Getting The Best Data From a Continous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
One tip that I would share with you if you decide to do this is while the company might say, “just scan the device so many times a day”, you might miss data. I found that when I scanned the CGM sensor at the intervals they suggested, I was missing information at certain times. And I don't know that you can actually get it back if it's missing on your little grid.
So what I started to do was just basically scan the device every two hours, and before and after when I would eat. I would scan the device when I woke up in the middle of the night. I would scan it right before bed and as soon as I woke up in the morning. Yes, the very first thing I’d do was to scan the sensor to make sure to capture as much data as possible. I wanted to really understand my body’s patterns, especially without manipulating them so I could use the CGM data as a baseline.
In case you’re wondering, the continuous glucose monitor is very easy to scan. It's slightly annoying in that you have to get your phone over the correct spot in order for it to work. But once you figure out that spot to hold your phone, it can scan the device in like 10 to 15 seconds. So it's not really anything tricky. It's just figuring out where's the sweet spot where the sensor from the CGM can communicate with your phone.
What’s Stuck In Your Arm From a Continous Glucose Monitor?
When I took the device off, my husband was fascinated by what exactly had been stuck in my arm for two weeks. He had been wondering the whole time if there was a needle stuck in my arm (which is a big phobia for him personally).
And I can understand that as I was kind of freaked out at first when I was wrapping my head around the idea of putting this sensor on your arm. Yes, it is kind of odd. I think it’s natural to wonder if there is going to be a piece of something that goes into your arm.
So what exactly does the wire of the continuous glucose monitor look like?
I saved the sensor so I could show you guys, this is what actually came off of my arm. There's a little wire and that's all it is. It’s a little wire, not a needle. It's not sharp, but for some reason, that wire can go into your tricep area.
It’s not going to “stab” you, and I honestly didn't really feel it. So if I rolled over my arm in bed or I laid on it or banged my arm into something, I didn't feel anything. So you don't have to be constantly aware of what's on your arm.
It's literally just this thing stuck to your arm that some people at the gym joked that I was like walking around with some sort of like tracking device. This is what it looks like if you need to figure out what it is.
But either way, I didn't really notice it and it was pretty easy coming off after the two-week period.
Where Can You Get A Continuous Glucose Monitor WIthout a Prescription?
If you're wondering what company I ended up going with (this second time around, because this was not my first rodeo with this)… if you remember from the beginning, I talked about how I had sensor failures and it took me a couple of years to want to give this a try again.
So I this time I used a continuous glucose monitor from Nutrisense that I personally bought. The company did not pay me to do this nor offer me anything in exchange. The only thing they gave me was a new sensor, because the first sensor that I tried with them failed (again it was close to the expiration date because I kept putting off doing it). They sent me a I replacement sensor, which they were really, really great about troubleshooting and taking care of.
So NutriSense is a company has its own app that can scan the CGM sensor device. They provide the sensors and everything for you. They also offer nutrition consults with, nutrition professionals, but I didn't use that service. You can access that help should you want to meet with somebody to understand your results and how to make effective changes to your glucose readings based on your individual needs. So that's a good option. There obviously are other companies out there that you can investigate.
If you decide that you'd like to go with NutriSense, you can save $50 off your first month of using their CGM when you use this link HERE!
So now it's your turn – I would love to know what else you would like to know, whether it's about my experience or questions you have that are kind of holding you back in using a CGM down in the comments below.
And if there's something that you've found really helpful or maybe it wasn't helpful, you can share that too.
And I'm happy to make a second episode about a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and more experiences with it if you have any more specific questions.
I hope this is helpful for you and your decision on your journey. It's been helpful for me. And I thought that by sharing it, it would help you make a more informed decision about whether you want to do something like this.
Because information, I believe, is power, but it also has to be wielded in a certain way to not cause those unintended consequences that for some might be a little slippery slope to something that isn't so helpful.
And if you're looking for more resources or help with chronic skin conditions, feel free to check out my resources at the top of this post!
