What a CGM Can Teach You (That a Blood Test Won’t)
Real-time glucose tracking reveals more than just your diet, it shows how your body responds to life.
Most people think of blood sugar as something only diabetics or pre-diabetics need to worry about. They assume that if their lab results show a “normal” fasting glucose or A1c, they’re in the clear, but blood sugar isn’t just about your labs.
It’s about your energy, your mood, your cravings, your sleep, and your stress response. A once-a-year blood test can’t show you the full picture.
That’s where a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) comes in.
A CGM lets you see how your body responds to food, stress, sleep, and movement in real time.
A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) is a small, wearable device (usually placed on the back of your arm) that tracks your glucose levels 24/7.
It provides a continuous stream of data showing how your blood sugar rises and falls throughout the day.
With a CGM, you can see:
What happens to your blood sugar after each meal
How quickly (or slowly) your body recovers from a spike
How your sleep, stress, workouts, and even coffee affect your glucose
Your overnight blood sugar trends
Your unique response to specific foods (even the “healthy” ones)
Why Blood Tests Miss the Full Picture
Standard labs like fasting glucose, HbA1c (a 3-month average), and insulin only give you a snapshot, a single moment or average in time.
They can’t tell you:
How your glucose behaves after meals
Whether you spike and crash throughout the day
If stress or poor sleep are silently raising your glucose
If your “healthy” smoothie is secretly wreaking havoc
Two people can have the same A1c, but totally different daily experiences. One might have stable glucose all day. The other might ride a rollercoaster of spikes and crashes, feeling tired, anxious, hungry, and inflamed. A CGM shows you that rollercoaster.
What a CGM Can Reveal (That Might Surprise You)
Here are just a few things a CGM can teach you:
1. That “healthy” food might not work for you
Oatmeal, smoothies, protein bars, sushi, bananas, they all hit people differently.
A CGM helps you personalize your nutrition instead of guessing or following generic advice.
Example: You might discover that your morning smoothie spikes you to 160 mg/dL, while two eggs and veggies keep you stable.
2. You don’t need to cut carbs, just time them better
A CGM shows you how to pair carbs with protein, fiber, and fat to flatten your curve.
You’ll also see how a short walk after meals or eating protein first can dramatically improve your glucose response.
3. Stress raises your blood sugar, even if you didn’t eat
You could be fasting all day, but a stressful meeting or poor sleep can still cause glucose spikes.
That’s because cortisol (your stress hormone) triggers the release of stored glucose for quick energy.
This explains why some people “do everything right” and still struggle with weight, energy, or inflammation, their nervous system is stuck in survival mode.
4. Sleep affects your insulin sensitivity
A poor night’s sleep can make your body more insulin resistant the next day, meaning the same meal causes a higher spike.
With a CGM, you’ll see how one rough night = higher glucose all day.
5. Crashes matter just as much as spikes
Big spikes are a problem, but so are rapid drops, especially when they leave you feeling:
Hungry
Shaky
Irritable
Craving sugar
Anxious
A CGM helps you catch and prevent these crashes by fine-tuning your meals and daily routine.
Who Can Benefit from a CGM?
Even if you're not diabetic, a CGM can help if you:
Feel tired after meals
Have stubborn weight (especially belly fat)
Experience afternoon crashes or sugar cravings
Have PCOS, hormone imbalances, or irregular cycles
Struggle with anxiety, mood swings, or poor sleep
Want to prevent chronic conditions (like diabetes, heart disease, or Alzheimer’s)
Are an athlete or high-performer optimizing energy, focus, and recovery
Benefits of Using a CGM
Personalized Nutrition
See how your body responds to carbs, fats, and proteins, no more guessing.
Improved Energy & Focus
Balanced glucose helps prevent crashes and supports better mental clarity.
Weight Management
Stabilizing blood sugar can help regulate hunger hormones like insulin, ghrelin, and leptin, making it easier to lose or maintain weight.
Better Sleep
Evening blood sugar spikes can disrupt your sleep. CGM data helps you optimize meals for rest and recovery.
Chronic Disease Prevention
Understanding your glucose patterns today helps prevent issues tomorrow.
This isn’t about restriction or obsession. It’s about awareness. Learning what works for your body, and making informed, empowered choices.
A CGM Gives You Real-Time Biofeedback:
“That food gave me stable energy.”
“That meal spiked me, but walking after helped.”
“When I eat late, I sleep poorly and my glucose stays high overnight.”
“When I’m well-rested and relaxed, my numbers stay beautifully stable.”
Once you understand your body’s patterns, you can stop guessing, and start living in a way that supports your biology.
Ready to Stop Guessing?
I'm excited to offer a new program: Balanced: a 4-week CGM guidance package that provides:
Step-by-step support for purchasing and applying your CGM
Personalized coaching to help you interpret your data
Actionable strategies to improve energy, sleep, cravings, and metabolic health