Continuous glucose monitors have reshaped diabetes care, streaming near-real-time glucose data to our phones, watches, and insulin pumps. Devices like Dexcom G7 and Libre 3 Plus don’t just show where glucose is now—they reveal where it’s heading, and increasingly power automated insulin delivery. As I’ve covered in past articles, CGMs have come a very long way from wired, three-day sensors with so-so accuracy, and there are even more CGM upgrades on the way that promise longer wear, better comfort, and tighter integration with pumps and apps.

But access to all that data can be a double-edged sword. Alarms can be relentless, settings confusing, and it’s easy to feel trapped between wanting safety and wanting peace. That’s why we’ve launched a new recurring segment on Diabetech called Optimizing Diabetes Tech (ODT). In this series, I’m joined by Gary Shiner—one of the most respected clinicians in the diabetes space, longtime CDCES, and owner of Integrated Diabetes Services—to focus on practical, real-world optimization of the tech many of us are already using. In our first episode, we dig into CGMs specifically: how to set high and low alerts, when to use predictive and rate-of-change alarms, how to avoid duplicate alerts between pump and phone, and how to strike a balance between time-in-range and quality of life.

Each ODT episode will tackle a single theme and end with a Q&A built around your questions. Next up: basal insulin optimization—how to know if your basal is right, how it interacts with CGM data and automation, and what to adjust when things are off. Y

You can watch the episode in the video below, listen to the podcast in the player above, and send in your voice recordings here for our next ODT episode on basal insulin.

If you’re looking to refine your diabetes management, I highly recommend Gary’s team at Integrated Diabetes Services. I’ve worked with them myself on adjusting settings and building DIY apps like Loop. Let them know we sent you!

Disclaimer: Diabetech content is not medical advice—it’s for educational purposes only. Always consult with a physician before making changes to your healthcare.