My Favourite Diabetes Apps
If you’re looking for a roundup of the best diabetes apps available, you’ve come to the right place! There are so many great apps that can help with carb counting, exercise, diabetes management and more, with new ones being released all the time. While some of these aren’t diabetes-specific per se, I’ve included them here because they help me manage my diabetes better than I otherwise could.
Diabetes Management
Dexcom App - For monitoring your blood sugars with the Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system. You need this app on your phone to be able to use the Dexcom system, but you can also easily connect your pump or Apple Watch to get your blood sugar readings there. I haven’t yet upgraded to the G7 version of Dexcom, but you can find that app here.
Sidenote: you need to keep the app running in the background for both versions to actually get readings, so don’t close it!
Dexcom Clarity - This app lets you take a more in-depth look at your blood sugar patterns over the past 2, 7, 14, 30, and 90 days. It shows you the settings of your Dexcom, the amount of time you’ve spent in range (also known as TIR), and estimated A1c level, along with other cool data points.
Dexcom Follow - This is an app that friends and family can use to be able to see your Dexcom readings in the moment, the same as you can on your main Dexcom app. This app has no pattern or data abilities like the Dexcom Clarity does. There are options to enable alarms to go off when certain things happen with your blood sugars, like an urgent low or high, and they can also turn them all off if needed. The Dexcom user gets to approve who follows their readings on a corresponding Dexcom Follow app, so you’re always in control of who can see what.
MySugr - This app is a digital logbook and has all kinds of options for tracking food and activity. It has a gaming element where you “feed” your glucose buddy each time you enter a blood sugar reading or other information. I used to use this before moving to a continuous glucose monitor because now my Dexcom apps essentially do the same thing, but if you’re not on a CGM I really recommend this option!
Glooko - This app allows you to download all of your insulin pump data to send over to your diabetes provider and is also available on desktop. Many healthcare clinics will use Glooko, and you can input a code so your records get shared with your doctor. I use Glooko about every three months before my diabetes appointments so my doctor can have all of my records (pump and CGM) together at once in advance of our meeting.
Food
MyFitnessPal - This is the OG app for food tracking. There are lots of existing food entries which can be helpful if you’re trying to figure out the carbs or other nutrients in a food. It’s also great for making sure you are getting enough fat and protein to balance your blood sugars post-meal, if you’re finding that to be an issue for you.
Just a note, if you find food tracking triggering or think it might become an issue, this probably isn’t the app for you. Ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a dietician who can help with food intake goals if needed.
Calorie King Food Search - For anyone who used to have the CalorieKing pocketbook (that was about 300 pages and definitely not pocket-friendly) to track nutritional information for both regular and fast food back in the early 2000s, this is the app version. It’s not updated super regularly so it doesn’t have everything, but it still has a lot and I’m often surprised by what it does have. If I can’t find nutritional info with a quick Google online, this is the next place I go.
Fitness
Peloton - I love my peloton app and find that it has everything I’m looking for when it comes to exercise. While it’s not diabetes-specific, I’ve always been able to find the right workouts based on my blood sugars and what I want to achieve. As a bonus, T1D Robin Arzone is the head Peloton trainer and can often be seen wearing her continuous glucose monitor or insulin pump while leading a workout, which I find inspiring. Their spin classes are also incredible for the endorphine rush, but it does require having the bike (or a bike).
ClassPass - if you live in a bigger city, ClassPass is a great way to try out different workout classes around town. I love ClassPass because sometimes it’s great to get out of your head and workout with a group, and because I can tailor my workouts based on how my blood sugars are doing or the style of workout I’m craving. As a fun bonus, I’ve met several other T1Ds at workout classes via Classpass and we love to compare notes on diabetes devices and how the class is impacting our blood sugars. So fun!
Mental Health
Headspace - I get a free subscription of Headspace through work, and I love using it to complete a quick meditation throughout the day. It might sound a little out there, but I decided to try doing a quick 2 minute meditation (they offer meditations as quick as 2 minutes all the way up to 1 hour+) whenever I’m feeling frustrated with my diabetes to help me stop impulsive decisions (hello rage bolusing) and it’s actually helped a ton. I can’t say I’m the most zen person ever, but building the routine has helped me step away from the pump and CGM before making a decision I know I’ll regret 30 minutes later. You can find many great meditations through YouTube, but I love how Headspace has so many variations and voice options. Even if I didn’t have a free subscription, I’d pay for this.
Sleep
Hatch Sleep - We recently decided to invest in a Hatch alarm clock, which is an alarm that mimics sunlight and slowly gets brighter as your alarm goes off, starting 30 minutes before you want to get up. You set up the alarm, the light, and the sounds using the app, and they also offer meditations and sleep education. Since using the alarm clock and app, I’ve noticed I have less of a blood sugar spike when I first wake up than I used to, which I believe might be due to a slower, more gradual wakeup call versus jumping out of bed with a blaring alarm.
