It's Not Always About the Numbers

"You are not your numbers. Your health is about so much more— your strength, your persistence, and your happiness."

Managing Type 1 diabetes (T1D) can often feel like a numbers game. We’re told to track blood sugar levels, improve our A1C, maintain optimal time in range, count carbs, calculate insulin doses—everything revolves around hitting the right targets. But life with T1D is far more complex than just achieving perfect numbers. Let's dive deeper into why it’s important to look beyond the numbers and focus on other factors that contribute to our well-being, ensuring that we take care of ourselves and all aspects of our lives.

A Quick Primer on the Numbers (Feel free to skip this if you're already familiar!)

Before we dive in, let's take a moment to explain some of the key numbers that come up in diabetes management. If you're an experienced diabetic, feel free to skip this section.

• Highs (Hyperglycemia): This occurs when your blood sugar level is too high, generally above 180 mg/dL. Hyperglycemia can be caused by various factors like eating too many carbs, not taking enough insulin, or even stress.
• Lows (Hypoglycemia): This is when your blood sugar level drops too low, usually below 70 mg/dL. Hypoglycemia can be dangerous if not treated promptly and is often caused by taking too much insulin, not eating enough, or exercising more than usual.
• Target Range: The target range for blood sugar varies from person to person, but it generally falls between 70-180 mg/dL. Staying within this range helps to minimize the risks associated with both highs and lows.
• A1C: A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It's usually represented as a percentage, with a target below 7% for many people with T1D. A lower A1C generally indicates better long-term blood sugar control.
• Carb Counting/Ratios: Carb counting involves tracking the amount of carbohydrates you eat so that you can adjust your insulin doses accordingly. Many people with T1D use insulin-to-carb ratios to calculate how much insulin they need to cover the carbs in their meals.

For more information on recommended diabetes management practices, you can visit the American Diabetes Association (ADA) website at https://www.diabetes.org. 

While these numbers are incredibly important for our well-being as people living with Type 1 Diabetes, focusing only on these numbers can take away from other crucial aspects of our health—like our mental resilience, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. By broadening our focus, we can ensure we’re taking care of ourselves holistically. 

Let’s explore why looking beyond the numbers is key and how we can maintain optimal blood sugars while staying positive and resilient.

Accepting The Unpredictable Nature of T1D

One of the most frustrating aspects of managing T1D is that, even if we do everything "right," blood sugar levels can still fluctuate unpredictably. Hormones, stress, sleep, illness, and even the weather can all affect our blood sugar in ways we can't fully control. The truth is, diabetes doesn’t always play by the rules, and that can be disheartening at times. But accepting that unpredictability is part of the journey can help us shift our mindset from frustration to resilience. 

When facing unexpected highs or lows, taking a few minutes to focus on deep breathing can help reduce stress and bring you back to a calmer state of mind, allowing you to make clearer decisions.

If you find yourself dealing with frequent unpredictability, try to remember that your management routine can be flexible and adaptable. What worked at one time in your life, may not be what works today. Be honest with your care team and adjust your plans without guilt or blame—embrace it as part of the process.

Focusing on What We Can Control

At the end of the day, the numbers that represent our blood sugar management are just an outcome—an outcome of our lifestyle, the devices we, and the environment we live in. By better understanding our lifestyle, we can improve those numbers without focusing solely on them. Focusing on the small decisions we can control in our life can have a big impact on our overall health and well-being.

For example, improving our sleep can lead to more stable blood sugar levels, while identifying sources of stress and learning how to manage them can prevent unexpected spikes or drops. Properly timing boluses and understanding how physical activity impacts blood sugar can also make a difference in managing T1D.

Instead of seeing the numbers as something we need to fixate on, we can focus on improving our lifestyle holistically, and can create a positive impact on our diabetes management without getting lost in the numbers.

"Diabetes is a constant guessing game, but every time we learn something new about our body, we grow stronger."

The Bigger Picture: Health Beyond Numbers

Numbers can be useful, but they aren’t the whole story of our health. Mental well-being, physical activity, and overall happiness are just as important. It’s okay if every number isn’t perfect—what matters is that we are taking steps to care for ourselves in a balanced way. Finding joy, managing stress, and celebrating small wins are all part of living well with T1D.

Tips for Letting Go of Perfection

1. Practice Self-Compassion: Remember that nobody can manage diabetes perfectly, and it’s okay to have challenging days. Treat yourself with the kindness you’d offer a friend. Instead of seeing a spike as a failure, we can see it as information—a signal that helps us understand our body better.
2. Use Tools That Help You Understand: Apps like GlucoSense can help you see patterns in your data, track your lifestyle, and provide insights that make managing diabetes feel less overwhelming. It's not just about numbers, but about understanding what they mean for your overall well-being.
3. Set Non-Number Goals: Focus on goals that aren’t tied to glucose readings, like getting enough sleep or reflecting on your day to understand the why behind the numbers. These goals help remind us that health is about more than just numbers.
4. Celebrate Small Wins: Even if your blood sugar isn’t perfect, celebrate the actions you took to care for yourself. Every effort counts, and acknowledging your progress helps build a positive mindset.
   

Reimagining the Numbers with GlucoSense 

At GlucoSense, we’re committed to helping you shift your perspective from merely tracking numbers to truly understanding them. Living with T1D is not about perfect control—it’s about doing our best, learning from our experiences, and finding balance. The numbers are just one part of the story, but they don’t define us. 

With features that bring meaning to your data—such as lifestyle tracking and personalized insights—GlucoSense helps you understand what behaviors are behind your numbers, empowering you to learn and make informed decisions for the future.

And, yes… We know the GlucoScore is a number. But, we hope one simple score can help you keep track of the other numbers much easier. 

At GlucoSense, we believe that living with diabetes should be about more than just the numbers.  Learning to detach our emotions from the numbers can be challenging, but it’s one of the most powerful ways to maintain a positive outlook. We’re here to support you in finding balance, resilience, and joy in your journey. In the next article, we explore how embracing our intuition and personal experiences helps us make the best choices for our health.