The CGM Blog
5 Ways to Help Lower Your A1C That Go Beyond Diet
Lowering the risk and frequency of complications is one of the many important parts of leading a healthy lifestyle for people living with diabetes.¹ One focus for many living with the condition is lowering their A1C over time. For most, the recommended A1C levels rest around 7 percent or less.*,² While there are many lifestyle considerations that you can experiment with to lower your A1C, below are a few research-backed strategies to help you create a more holistic diabetes management plan.
If you’re thinking of making big lifestyle changes, consult your healthcare professional first. Your healthcare team can give you insights into what can help you manage your blood glucose (BG) levels and help you create a strategic plan that can stick with you.
1. Add Some Movement To Your Day
According to the American Diabetes Association, exercise increases insulin sensitivity which helps your muscle cells use available insulin and uptake glucose.³ During physical activity, your muscles contract and relax, allowing your cells to take up glucose and use it for energy. This happens whether insulin is available or not, helping to lower blood sugar levels in the short term.³
If you want to increase your physical activity to better manage your glucose levels, using data from a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system can help guide your decisions. Tracking your glucose levels before, during, and after exercise is one way to see the benefits of activity and how it works for your body. The length of activity, as well as personal health factors, can also change the effect physical activity has on your glucose levels.³
If you experience hypoglycemia during or after exercise, treat it according to plans you’ve made with your healthcare provider. Talk to your doctor before going forward with an exercise plan.
2. Be Mindful Of Stress
Research has shown that stress increases hormones in the body, which can impact blood sugar levels.⁴ When your body feels stressed, it enters into a “fight or flight” mode, which releases adrenaline and cortisol into your bloodstream and causes your heart, breathing, and respiratory rates to increase. This then causes your blood to be directed to muscles and limbs. During this response, your body may become unable to process the glucose released by your firing nerve cells. If this glucose can’t be converted into energy, it can build up in your bloodstream and cause glucose levels to increase.⁴
Long-term or ongoing stress has the potential to affect your blood glucose levels over time. Stress can also impact your mental and physical abilities, which can affect your diabetes management. If you are concerned that stress may be impacting your glucose levels, keeping a personal log to see when you are most stressed and how you feel during that time may be helpful. It also helps to check your glucose levels when you feel stressed to see if there are any significant changes.
It’s important to remember that everyone experiences some form and level of stress - it’s a natural part of life. When you’re feeling stressed, take some time to acknowledge the feelings and give yourself credit for just doing your best. You can also try creating a plan to help reduce or buffer your stress levels when they increase. Activities like meditation, breathing exercises, and light physical activity (like going for a walk) can be used to manage stress in your daily life.
If you’ve recently noticed changes in your current stress levels, be sure to talk to your healthcare professional about what steps you can take to manage them.
3. Pay Attention To Glucose Patterns
The Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology has found that paying attention to your blood sugar levels, and knowing what triggers changes, can help you better manage your A1C.5 For example, if you find your blood sugar levels are highest during work hours, it may be a sign that work-induced stress is affecting your glucose levels. Similarly, if you notice your levels are lower after a bike ride, hanging out with friends, or time spent doing activities you enjoy, that is a good indication that you may be able to manage your levels with these activities.
You can use the readings from a continuous glucose monitor, like the Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System, to view your glucose levels in the moment and gain insights into managing your condition. If you notice any trends, try creating new strategies to tackle problem areas or increase behaviours that positively affect your glucose levels. Discuss any changes to your diabetes management plan with your doctor to ensure they’re right for you.
4. Track Your Time In Range
Time in range (TIR) is a diabetes management metric that allows you to see the percentage of hours in a day you spend within and outside of your target glucose range. TIR works alongside A1C to give you a broader view of your diabetes management. By using TIR, you can better understand the way your glucose levels change throughout the day, which can help inform other lifestyle decisions such as exercise, diet, and stress management. Research has shown that people who spend more time in range feel better, healthier, and more confident to pursue their passions.6
When using the Dexcom G6, glucose readings are uploaded to Dexcom CLARITY, which can show you your TIR. The customizable alerts can warn you when your glucose levels spike high or drop low so that you can make adjustments accordingly. If you want to start tracking your TIR, speak to your healthcare professional about what your target range should be.
5. Use Technology To Inform Your Habits
Thanks to the innovative power of CGM systems, there are many ways to gain insights into your glucose levels and patterns. Dexcom CGM has been proven to lower A1C7,8,9 and provides real-time glucose data up to every five minutes. This added information allows you to gain additional insights into your glucose levels and what may be impacting them, which can help you to proactively manage your diabetes.
Learn more about the Dexcom G6 CGM System here. Need help with insurance coverage? Speak to our team of Account Specialists to take the next step towards improving your A1C.
* Always consult with your doctor when setting A1C goals.
1 Glycemic Targets: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2018. Diabetes Care. 2017;41(Supplement 1): S55-S64. doi:10.2337/dc18-s006
2 Diabetes Canada - Clinical Practice Guidelines - Chapter 8: Targets for Glycemic Control. Guidelines.diabetes.ca. http://guidelines.diabetes.ca/cpg/chapter8. Published 2021. Accessed November 23, 2021.
3 Colberg S, Sigal R, Yardley J et al. Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(11):2065-2079. doi:10.2337/dc16-1728
4 Mitra A. Diabetes And Stress: A Review. West Bengal, India: School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology; 2008.
5 Greenwood D, Gee P, Fatkin K, Peeples M. A Systematic Review of Reviews Evaluating Technology-Enabled Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2017;11(5):1015-1027. doi:10.1177/1932296817713506
6 Dexcom U.S. data on file, November 2020
7 Beck RW, Riddlesworth T, Ruedy K, et al. Effect of continuous glucose monitoring on glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes using insulin injections: The DIAMOND randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2017;317(4):371-378.
8 Lind M, Polonsky W, Hirsch IB, et al. Continuous glucose monitoring vs conventional therapy for glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes treated with multiple daily insulin injections: The GOLD randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2017;317(4):379-387.
9 Welsh JB, Gao P, Derdzinski M, et al. Accuracy, Utilization, and Effectiveness Comparisons of Different Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2019;21(3):128-32.
1 Glycemic Targets: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2018. Diabetes Care. 2017;41(Supplement 1): S55-S64. doi:10.2337/dc18-s006
2 Diabetes Canada - Clinical Practice Guidelines - Chapter 8: Targets for Glycemic Control. Guidelines.diabetes.ca. http://guidelines.diabetes.ca/cpg/chapter8. Published 2021. Accessed November 23, 2021.
3 Colberg S, Sigal R, Yardley J et al. Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2016;39(11):2065-2079. doi:10.2337/dc16-1728
4 Mitra A. Diabetes And Stress: A Review. West Bengal, India: School of Medical Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology; 2008.
5 Greenwood D, Gee P, Fatkin K, Peeples M. A Systematic Review of Reviews Evaluating Technology-Enabled Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2017;11(5):1015-1027. doi:10.1177/1932296817713506
6 Dexcom U.S. data on file, November 2020
7 Beck RW, Riddlesworth T, Ruedy K, et al. Effect of continuous glucose monitoring on glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes using insulin injections: The DIAMOND randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2017;317(4):371-378.
8 Lind M, Polonsky W, Hirsch IB, et al. Continuous glucose monitoring vs conventional therapy for glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes treated with multiple daily insulin injections: The GOLD randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2017;317(4):379-387.
9 Welsh JB, Gao P, Derdzinski M, et al. Accuracy, Utilization, and Effectiveness Comparisons of Different Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2019;21(3):128-32.