I recently spent 30 days measuring my blood glucose levels with the Freestyle Libre 2 Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) and the Veri app. My goal? To give you my glucose monitor review, and to see which are the best glucose monitors, and if this tool could offer meaningful health benefits for someone like me—a non-diabetic, health-conscious person navigating midlife and a PCOS diagnosis.
With the increasing trend of people using glucose monitors to “balance blood sugar,” I wanted to explore whether this investment is really worth it for the average person. Could it actually help improve energy levels, manage cravings, and provide insights into overall health?
You can watch the video or read on below
** Disclosure. This post is not sponsored, I used my own money to purchase these products and I am not being paid to share this. I do use affiliate links to support my work. This means I may make a small commission should you use my link to purchase a product at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support.
Why I Tried a Glucose Monitor
I’ve been interested in CGMs for a while, but it was a recent shift in my own health that finally pushed me to give it a go. Despite being a health coach, I’m not perfect with my nutrition 100% of the time. I’m a busy mum, life happens and I also want to be able to enjoy it and have flexibility around food.
However, I was recently, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), after experiencing symptoms such as weight gain and a lost menstrual cycle and potential indicators of insulin resistance.
Even though my doctor wasn’t certain what was happening (after suspecting early menopause), I felt something wasn’t right. I experienced intense cravings, felt exhausted, and often had symptoms that I suspected could be linked to blood sugar fluctuations, like shakiness and blurry vision when I hadn’t eaten.
Whilst I do want to preface this by saying this is NOT medical information, I know like many women out there who are facing changes with health concerns the answers from your doctor don’t always come quickly, or at all for that matter. And so whilst all intervention should be completed with the backing of a medical professional I felt like it would be beneficial to have the data from using a glucose monitor ready for entering into my next meeting with my doctor.
PCOS, Insulin Resistance, and Blood Glucose
PCOS is often linked to insulin resistance, which can cause blood sugar imbalances and affect other hormones. Managing blood glucose levels is critical, as it can directly impact PCOS symptoms, and insulin resistance is common in women entering peri-menopause too.
Insulin resistance occurs when your body doesn’t respond to insulin properly, leading to higher blood sugar levels. Over time, this can lead to more serious conditions like type 2 diabetes and ultimately is a leading cause of heart disease and consequences for long term cardiovascular health.
Symptoms of insuling resistance
- Increased thirst.
- Frequent urination (peeing).
- Increased hunger.
- Blurred vision.
- Headaches.
“Most PCOS women exhibit metabolic syndrome symptoms such as insulin resistance, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome and are obese have an eight times greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes. PCOS also leads to insulin resistance in 50-80% of patients”
national library of medicine
Keeping blood glucose in check is important not just for women with PCOS but for anyone looking to maintain metabolic health.
In a healthy person a normal cycle looks like this.
Image from Precision Nutrition
When food is consumed its broken down into glucose, glucose is released into the blood stream, then insulin is realeased to bring glucose back down to normal levels where it is shunted into the muscle.
Insulin resistance is where glucose doesn’t respond to the insulin properly and doesn’t take in the glucose as it should. More insulin is then released in response and insulin levels remain elevated for longer.
What Is A Continuous Glucose Monitor?
A CGM tracks your blood glucose levels in real time without needing to prick your finger with fingerstick checks. A tiny sensor, applied to the back of the upper arm or stomach, reads the glucose in your interstitial fluid (the fluid between your cells). It sends data to a smartphone app, showing how your blood sugar fluctuates throughout the day in response to food, exercise, stress, and sleep.
The readings can then be transferred via bluetooth to your phone or via an app to help you look at patterns and how your blood glucose levels are effected by different foods, exercise and lifestyle habits.
For diabetes management, CGMs can be life-changing. But for the rest of us, the question is: Can this data help improve our health?
Why I Decided to Track My Blood Glucose
I was experiencing what I can only describe as “funny moments” when I’d go too long without eating or after intense exercise. I’d feel shaky, weak, and on the verge of getting a migrane. Something wasn’t feeling right, and I wanted to see if those moments correlated with blood sugar dips or spikes.
This isn’t medical advice, but my personal experience of trying to gather more information about my body. I believe having data can empower us in conversations with doctors and help us make better choices with our food and lifestyle habits.
As someone who was feeling the effects of a high variability of blood glucose levels, i.e feeling constantly hungery, getting shakey or blurry eyed if eating a bad diet of not eating for longer periods of time. Using this device really helped me to develop some strategies and noticing the difference in how I felt on the days when I kept my blood glucose levels more stable was distinct.
I decided to track my blood glucose to see if it correlated to when I was having my ‘funny moments’ i.e when I hadn’t eaten enough or even I was getting them after intense exercise.
It really felt like the perfect time to delve a little deeper and see if my body was struggling with managing blood sugar levels, or if how I have been feeling is related to anything else.
My Experience with the Freestyle Libre 2 and Veri App
After deciding to use the Freestyle Libre 2 sensor with the Veri app, I found both easy to use. The sensor was simple to apply (despite my initial hesitation) at the back of your arm or on your belly. It is painless to apply and the transferred data to my phone seamlessly. The Veri app provided easy-to-read charts and offered helpful tips for stabilising blood glucose, such as tweaking my meals or daily habits. The app also runs you through a series of educative tips and tricks to help educate you along the journey.
In the first week I noticed that my morning levels were below the normal range, though the app didn’t seem to pick up on this or give any specific reccomendations. It did however give notification when there was a glucose spike and how you can work towards avoiding those.
Key Insights from 30 Days of Glucose Monitoring
- Low Mornings: My blood glucose was consistently below normal first thing in the morning. No wonder I woke up ravenously hungry! When I adjusted my evening meals—adding more protein and reducing sugary snacks—it made a noticeable difference.
- Sugar Spikes and Crashes: I saw significant spikes after indulging in sugary treats, followed by sharp drops. This wasn’t just a theoretical lesson—it was in the data, and I felt it physically. Sugar spikes are very real.
- Sleep Matters: Poor sleep led to more erratic blood sugar patterns. On nights I didn’t sleep well, my morning glucose was lower, and I felt hungrier throughout the day. It’s no surprise, but seeing the real-time data strengthened my commitment to good sleep hygiene.
- People Are Going To Ask – Just be prepared that people are going to ask questions about it. Even thoug it’s a small sensor, if you are wearing it in the summer like I did, it is going to be on show.
The Impact of Nutrition and Supplements
I also experimented with some proven glucose-balancing strategies, like following the “Glucose Goddess” hacks (eating food in a specific order and walking after meals). CLICK HERE to see my review on the Glucose Goddess book and diet as well as working on reducing specific foods
For example one day when I was unprepared, I stupidly didn’t take anything into eat. There was a pain o chocolate in the kitchen. When I had one the week previously there was a HUGE spike on my chart. Yet on this specific occurance I ate a small handful of nuts before the pasty. And low and behold only a small spike was showing. Which is why I do love some of the hacks that can allow you to have your cake and eat it, without the negative impact of such a huge spike and avoiding the resulting crash.
The Glucose Goddess hacks helped, but the game-changer was when I started taking Inositol through a PCOS-specific supplement called MyOva (full review coming soon).
Almost immediately, my morning glucose levels stabilised and I was supprised just how quickly this change showed up in the real-time glucose data. Not just in my graphs, but I felt a noticeable reduction in cravings and hunger when applied alongside the Glucose Goddess hacks and when I could keep my blood glucose levels within that target range.
Continuous Glucose Monitor Costs and Availability
CGM sensors aren’t cheap. In the UK and europe, you can buy them online or at pharmacies without the need for a prescription, with two sensors (lasting 14 days each) costing around £100.
In the US, a prescription is required, and the cost can be higher depending on whether you buy through an app like Veri or Levels. Though also in the US it would be worth checking your insurance cover though obviously working alongside your medical professional.
I personally found that buying the sensors separately from Amazon and using the Veri app was the most cost-effective option.
I did however find that it was a lot more expensive if purchasing through the app. For example it was €199 for the sensors on top of the €49 for the use of the app when purchasing through the app.
I purchased through Amazon and then paid the €49 for the Veri app (use code EMMACN to get 20% off) individually which is still a fairly hefty investment. Veri has now also just been acquired by oura and Veri as a product will soon be phased out. It’s yet to be seen if Oura will go on to develop glucose monitors that can intergrate with their rings going forward
UltraHuman (use code ECN10 for a 10% discount) are also now offering CGM monitoring. Which as I am now also using their ring (review coming soon) would have been good to see it integrated with my smart rings data. 4 weeks of monitoring with UltraHuman comes in at €189.
Other brands:
Conclusion: Is a CGM Right for You?
Using a CGM for 30 days was a valuable tool and experience for me. It kind of confirmed what I already knew—stable blood sugar is beneficial for managing my PCOS symptoms and overall my well-being and energy levels—but it was the real-time data that helped me make more informed choices. Just noting how different I would feel on the days where I kept my blood glucose balanced was significant. It was a powerful reminder to implement the healthy diet and lifestyle changes that I know are the most beneficial to me.
The ease of use means you can take those blood glucose readings and take action on your health in real time which can be so useful if we want to look at preventative health care as a priority. Often we wait until we are ill before taking action on our health.
That said, I don’t think everyone needs a CGM. If you’re struggling with blood sugar issues or suspect insulin resistance, it might be worth trying for a month so you can use that data to speak to your doctor about. But the ongoing cost (about £150/month) makes it a significant investment, and it’s not accessible for everyone and not if you are just looking at it as a tool to support weight loss. I think there are other metrics you can look at first.
Ultimately, it’s a great tool for gathering personal health data, but not essential or affordable for most people. If you’re curious about your own blood sugar fluctuations, it can provide valuable insights. Just keep in mind that you don’t need to track every day to see improvements—sometimes a month of data is all you need to get started.
Or if it’s the cost that is keeping you from trying it for yourself, In would suggest trying some of the Glucose Goddess hacks to start with and see how you feel after implementing those.
I hope this glucose monitor review has been helpful in helping you decide if it’s the right move for you. If you have any additional questions then pleas let me know down in the comments.
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