In recent years, wearable health technology has expanded well beyond step counters and fitness trackers. Today, it’s easy to monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns, stress levels, hydration, and even your blood oxygen or ECG, all from a small device on your wrist or arm. Among the newest tools getting buzz is the continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a small sensor that provides real-time data on how your blood sugar levels respond to food, activity, stress, and sleep.
You may have seen CGMs promoted on social media as a tool to "hack" metabolism or optimize health. But what’s fact versus hype?
Let’s break it down.
What is a CGM, and how does it work?
A CGM is a small wearable device, usually placed on the back of the upper arm, that tracks glucose (that’s sugar in your blood) throughout the day. The cool science? It doesn’t check your blood sugar from your blood. Instead, it checks the sugar in the fluid around your body’s cells. These levels are updated every few minutes and sent to an app on your phone, showing patterns and spikes related to meals, exercise, stress, and sleep.
Originally developed for people with diabetes, CGMs help monitor glucose fluctuations that may require medication adjustments or dietary changes. But now, companies are marketingCGMs to a broader audience, including people who are curious about performance, energy levels, weight, and even food sensitivities.
So… Is it worth it if I don’t have diabetes?
If you live with diabetes, CGMs are a powerful, research-backed tool to support blood sugar management. But if you don’t, the picture is less clear.
Some very early research suggests CGMs might help individuals with prediabetes or early signs of insulin resistance understand how their bodies respond to different foods or patterns.For example, tracking when and how your glucose rises after certain meals may help guide your future food choices. For individuals with obesity or metabolic syndrome, there’s emerging interest in using CGMs as part of broader care plans, but that data is still evolving.
It’s important to note that, some degree of glucose fluctuation is a normal part of a healthy metabolism. Your blood sugar is supposed to rise after a meal. In other words, seeing a “spike” on a graph doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong.
What can CGMs actually teach you?
In the right context,CGMs may offer some useful insights:
If you're someone who loves data, a CGM might be a fun and educational experiment. It can help you identify patterns, such as feeling low energy mid-morning after a particular breakfast or noticing that a stressful day led to more variability in your blood sugar.
But there are real drawbacks, too
Like any health tool,CGMs have limitations. The accuracy of CGMs isn’t perfect, and small glucose changes may not be meaningful. The data can also be influenced by hydration, sensor placement, and how quickly your blood sugar is changing.
More importantly, for some people, there are emotional and behavioral risks. For people who are prone to getting over-focused on health data, or who have a history of an ambivalent relationship with food, monitoring glucose too closely can increase anxiety or reinforce problematic eating behaviors. What starts as curiosity can in some people quickly turn into unnecessary stress about foods that are perfectly fine to eat.
CGMs can also be expensive and are rarely covered by insurance unless you have a diabetes diagnosis. This also brings up an important question: Do we really need an expensive device to improve our health? For many people, the answer is no. Some people may find CGMs helpful or fun to try, but most people don’t need one to stay healthy. In fact, in funds are limited, the cost of one of these devices might be better spent on nutritious groceries, a comfortable pair of walking shoes. This is a very personal choice but it’s important to remember that regular movement, balanced meals, good sleep, and stress management go along way, and those don’t require a high-tech tool.
Should you try one?
That’s a personal decision, and one worth exploring with your healthcare team. If you’re curious about using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), your healthcare team, including registered dietitian, can help you think through how it might fit into your broader goals. Together, you can come up with a plan that makes sense for you. A CGM might offer helpful insights, but it’s just one of many tools, and it’s not essential for everyone.
In fact, it’s the“low-tech habits”: getting quality sleep, eating meals with fibre and protein, moving your body regularly, taking medications if prescribed, and managing stress that can offer the greatest returns. These foundational behaviors affect your blood sugar and overall health more than any sensor can.
The bottom line
At knownwell, an inclusive weight management and primary care practice, we believe your health plan should reflect your needs, values, and lived experience. That means working with your care team, including your registered dietitian, to choose the strategies and tools that truly support your goals. That may include a CGM, or it may not. What matters most is that the plan works for you, and that it’s something you can sustain.
Curious about CGMs?Confused by health tech hype? Reach out to your team. We’re here to help you understand your options and build a health journey rooted in knowledge, trust, and long-term support.
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