A continuous glucose monitor is a small disk that you wear on your arm or abdomen. It samples the fluid just below the level of the skin—called the interstitial fluid. From this fluid, a CGM can estimate your blood sugar in near real time.
There are different types of CGMs. The more expensive models will send your glucose results to an app on your smartphone.
Less expensive models aren’t as automatic; you must sync your CGM with the app manually every few hours.
Depending on the model, a CGM gives you readouts of your blood sugar about every 1–5 minutes.
While a lab test is a snapshot, a CGM is like a metabolic movie.
You will get about 2 weeks of data from a CGM before you need to switch it out. As technology advances, you will soon be able to use CGMs that last weeks or even months.
Your coach will be able to go through the different options. Some insurance plans will cover some or all the cost of the CGM.
