Taking care of your diabetes is important if you want to escape some pretty bad side effects, from feeling tired and sluggish to getting much worse conditions. Combining food, exercise, and medicine is the best way to deal with diabetes. At the same time, you can use different kinds of technology to check your blood sugar, plan your meals, and give your body insulin.
Even though using these apps won’t let you eat whatever you want, they will help you control your diabetes and live a long, healthy life. Check out some of the best ways technology can help with diabetes management.
1. Smart Insulin Pens
A smart insulin pen is a hand-held device that people with diabetes use to give themselves insulin. These devices have a small computer chip and a sensor that can keep track of the amount and timing of insulin doses. With a smart insulin pen, you can keep track of and control your blood sugar levels better. This can help stop problems like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and diabetes (high blood sugar). (high blood sugar).
For example, the Medtronic InPen is a smart insulin pen that can be used more than once. It can talk to a partner app through Bluetooth. With the app, you don’t have to guess about how much insulin to take, so you’ll never run out. It also reminds you of your doses, helps you count carbs, and comes with a digital record that you can share with your doctor.
Other smart insulin devices have a small LCD screen that shows information like the amount of insulin to be given, how long it has been since the last shot, and how much power is left in the battery. The InPen doesn’t need to be charged, and the Medtronic help page says that its battery should last a year from the time you pair it with your phone.
2. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems
Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems are medical tools that track and measure your glucose levels all the time. A GCM system is made up of a small sensor that is put just under the skin, usually on the belly, and a transmitter that sends glucose data to a mobile app or display device. For example, the Dexcom G6 counts the amount of glucose in the fluid between your skin cells and sends that information to the G6’s companion app.
This kind of CGM device can tell you if your glucose levels are too high or too low, and you can also set alarms for certain glucose levels. They give you a better idea of how your blood sugar changes during the day and night. With the built-in alert function, these devices can tell you when to take action to bring your glucose level back to a safe range, making it less likely that you’ll feel the effects of hypoglycemia.
Also, the past data that CGM apps store can help you find patterns and trends in your glucose levels. You can use this information to change your treatment plan and way of life.
3. Smart Insulin Pumps
An insulin pump is a small medical device that you wear on your body, usually on your waist or upper arm. The pump has a reservoir for insulin and a small computer that handles the flow of insulin through a small tube (catheter) that is put under your skin.
There are many devices on the market that can do this, like the Omnipod, which gives a steady, low dose of insulin (called the “basal rate”) all day long. This helps keep the blood sugar level steady between meals and while you’re sleeping.
They can also give a bigger amount of insulin (called a “bolus”) at mealtimes, which helps lower high blood sugar levels after eating. Some pumps can even figure out how much insulin is still working in your body and change the bolus doses so that insulin doesn’t build up. Insulin pumps can improve health by making insulin delivery more accurate and flexible and by preventing low blood sugar.
4. Mobile Apps
There are many apps for your phone that can help you keep track of your blood sugar levels, insulin doses, exercise, and other important things that affect how you control your diabetes. Some apps can also give you advice on how to deal with your diabetes that is tailored to your needs.
For instance, the mySugr app lets you keep track of your medications, food, and other information. All you have to do is add data whenever you do something related to your diabetes, like check your blood sugar level. Don’t worry, if you tend to forget to check your blood sugar, the app will also tell you to do so.
Download: MySugr for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
5. Digital Meal Planning
There are many websites and apps that can help you cook meals that are good for people with diabetes. This can help you eat fewer carbs. People with diabetes can benefit from this because it can help them better control their blood sugar levels.
For example, Diabetic Foodie is a website that helps people with diabetes stay on a low-carb and low-sodium diet without giving up taste. On the website, there are two main parts: Recipes and Special Diets. Under “Recipes,” you’ll find what you’d expect: directions for everything from main dishes to desserts. There are meals for people who can’t eat gluten and for people who don’t eat meat.
Diabetic Foodie’s meals all follow the rules set by the American Diabetes Association.
6. Wearable Fitness Trackers
Many fitness trackers you can wear can keep track of your heart rate, how much you move, and how you sleep. This information can be especially helpful for people with diabetes, because staying active and getting enough sleep can help you better control your blood sugar levels.
Some smartwatches can even connect to other gadgets, like glucose monitors and insulin pumps. The BioActive Sensor in the Samsung Galaxy Watch includes three health sensors: an optical heart rate sensor, an electrical heart signal sensor, and a bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor.
Using Technology to Handle Diabetes
Taking care of diabetes is important if you don’t want to feel tired and have other major problems. Diabetes can be well controlled by using food, exercise, and medicine together. Meanwhile, smart insulin pens, CGM systems, and insulin pumps are all examples of how technology can help you keep track of your blood sugar levels and send you alerts and reminders to help you control your diabetes better.
