People who have diabetes, whether it’s Type I or Type II, know the challenges that come with it. Bottom line, it’s up to the person to make sure their blood sugar is ok, 24/7. Normally, the body’s naturally occurring insulin would take care of this, but for diabetes patients this function does not operate as intended. Instead, a person with diabetes must check their blood sugar periodically to make sure it’s within a healthy range; and if it’s not, take steps to make the appropriate adjustments.
Enter an app that makes all of this easier and uses your data to help predict how your blood sugar will be in the future, given historical information and habits. The app is called Diabits. The developers describe Diabits as a diabetes management tool tat uses machine learning to build a model of your blood sugar, allowing for a prediction of what your blood sugar may be up to 60 minutes into the future, so you can plan accordingly.
Using data that you enter and information that can be collected from a Fitbit or from an Apple Watch, Diabits uses trends in blood sugar values along with lifestyle events like exercise, steps taken, food eaten, times of day these events take place to help shape what your blood sugar will look like and to help build a trend of your blood sugar levels so you can figure out the best times to eat, the best times to exercise and more – all customized to your body and your schedule.
The app is free to download. One important item to note is that the app currently compatible with the following CGMs: Dexcom and Nightscout. There are plans in place to support Abbott and Novo Nordisk. Fitness devices it currently recognizes include Apple Watch and Fitbit. This means Diabits makes it easy for you to use exercise and sleep data already collected to advise on an exercise regimen, a diet plan and more.
I really liked the subtlety of the app design, using a black background and just the right amount of color to highlight the information on each screen. The Predictions screen is easy to read and pinpoints the current time of day on a graph, showing you what the past blood sugar readings have been and predicting what it will be based on historical data, activity levels and what you have been eating.
Another very important feature is the ability for other users to follow you. This means family and friends who look out for you can easily see and be alerted to anything that may cause your blood sugar to plummet or spike dangerously. So, if you don’t catch, someone else may, preventing a serious event.
It goes without saying that the app provides a great deal of functionality and benefit to anyone who needs an easy to track and manage their diabetes. The big plus is that the data is provides becomes input into a plan to help you manage so many other areas of your life that affect your diabetes, enabling you to really make a difference in disease management. What I look forward to is connectivity to more fitness devices and more blood sugar testers, helping to widen the app’s applicability.
If you are looking for an easier way to track and manage your diabetes while keeping friends and family in the loop, Diabits is a strong contender and an app to put on your shortlist.
