Now that you’ve gotten started with your CGM, you might be a little confused about what everything means. We’re here to break it down for you—focusing on trend arrows!

While every CGM interface looks a bit different, they all have similar arrows that show where your glucose is moving. 

Two arrows pointing up

 

Double arrows pointing upwards mean your blood sugar is rapidly increasing. (90+ points within 30 minutes). This isn’t always cause for alarm (you might’ve just eaten or treated a low), but it’s good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too high. 

 

Single arrow pointing up

 

A single arrow pointing upwards means your blood sugar is increasing. (60-90 points within 30 minutes) Again, This isn’t always cause for alarm (you might’ve just eaten or treated a low), but it’s good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too high. 

 

Single arrow pointed towards the upper right hand corner

 

A single arrow pointing diagonally to the top right of the screen means your blood sugar is slowly increasing. (30-60 points within 30 minutes). This is usually not cause for alarm but is good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too high. 

 

Single arrow pointing to the right

 

A single arrow pointing to the side means your blood sugar is stable or changing very slowly. This is usually not cause for alarm if your blood sugar is within range. 

 

 

 

A single arrow pointing diagonally to the bottom right of the screen means your blood sugar is slowly falling. (30-60 points within 30 minutes). This is usually not cause for alarm but is good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too low. 

 

 

Single arrow pointing up

 

A single arrow pointing downwards means your blood sugar is falling. (60-90 points within 30 minutes) This isn’t always cause for alarm (you might’ve just bolused or exercised), but it’s good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too low. 

 

Two arrows pointing up

 

Double arrows pointing downwards mean your blood sugar is rapidly decreasing. (90+ points within 30 minutes). Again, this isn’t always cause for alarm. You might’ve just bolused or exercised), but it’s good to watch to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t get too low. 

 

To find the guide on your specific CGM arrows, click below: 

Dexcom G6 + G7

Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 +3 

Medtronic Guardian

Senseonics Eversense