CNET senior video producer and diabetic Justin Eastzer say that a combination of a continuous glucose monitor (GCM) and his Apple Watch saved his life.
When his blood sugar level became dangerously low, the CGM alerted him, and his Apple Watch awakened him up in time.
Easter, the cameraman, explains how his Apple Watch saved his life.
I use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to check my blood sugar levels because I have type 1 diabetes. I run the risk of passing out or going into a diabetic coma if my blood sugar drops too low. Fortunately, my CGM connects to my watch and delivers alerts in time. My life was once saved by this feature.
My Apple Watch alerted me to dangerously low blood sugar when I woke up. I quickly snatched some orange juice from the fridge, drank it, and then passed out.
After a little while, my sugar levels returned to normal, and I woke up. With the help of my Apple Watch alerts, I was able to handle the low blood sugar before it was too late. That was one of the scariest times of my life.
A CGM connects to the skin and is left in place to take continuous readings, in contrast to conventional glucose monitors, which depend on the user taking blood samples at regular intervals. This information is transmitted to a companion app on a smartphone or smartwatch, and if the reading is either too high or too low, an alarm can be set off.
Apple is developing integrated monitoring
Although CGM currently requires a separate device, one of the most frequent Apple Watch rumors suggests that Apple is working on a way to incorporate this capability inside the watch itself.
In particular, the business is reportedly working on a non-invasive method to accomplish this without puncturing the skin. For diabetics, this has been called the holy grail.
According to reports, Apple began working on this in 2012. A 2017 report states:
Steve Jobs was the one who first had the idea for such a project, and Apple has been working on it for five years. Jobs envisioned the remedy being included into wearable technology, like the Apple Watch […]
According to the claim, which relies on three people with knowledge of the situation, Apple has assembled a “small team” of biomedical engineers to work on the project. According to reports, the crew is headquartered out of an unmarked, unremarkable office in Palo Alto, California.
As part of the program, Apple is attempting to create sensors that can continuously check blood sugar levels in order to treat diabetes more effectively. The company is allegedly far enough along in its research that it has been performing feasibility studies, though detailed timeframe information is unclear.
