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What if there was a way to find out how your diabetes control is going, without waiting for your next HbA1c test? Time in Range (TiR) is an up-and-coming diabetes measure that lets you do just that. With Time in Range, you get regular access to detailed summaries of your blood glucose levels. Time in Range lets you see all the peaks and dips during each day and night, and it shows you exactly what your medication, food and exercise do to your blood sugar levels.1
If you use a continuous
glucose monitor (CGM), you will know that it allows you to
measure your ‘interstitial’ glucose throughout the day and
night.1 Interstitial glucose sounds complicated but all it
means is that the monitor measures the sugar level in the fluid under
your skin rather than directly from your blood.2 You may
also have heard of Time in Range, a term often used by the medical
profession. Time in Range is an up-and-coming diabetes measure that
could help you manage your blood sugar and talk to your healthcare
professional about your diabetes management, using the numbers from
your CGM.1
Read on and find out more about Time in Range and how
this measurement can help you and your healthcare professional improve
your diabetes management.1
This free CGM Cheat Sheet gives you the basics about starting with a CGM and TiR
The Time in Range diabetes measure shows how much time you spend in
your target blood sugar range, using the numbers from your
CGM.1 You can use other CGM measures alongside TiR as a
guide to managing your diabetes, such as how long you spend above
(Time Above Range) or below (Time Below Range) your range. Together
they show you how much your blood sugars vary during the day and
night.3,4
For most people, blood sugar is
‘in range’ when it is between 70 and 180 mg/dl (3.9–10 mmol/l).
Experts recommend that if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, most
people should spend at least 17 hours (70%) of their day within this
target range.1 Check with your doctor what your personal
target range is.
What are the recommended targets for Time in Range, Time
Above Range, and Time Below Range?
You will be familiar with using HbA1c to manage your diabetes. Time
in Range does not replace HbA1c but can provide extra information and
greater insight, because it shows you the peaks and dips in your blood
sugar levels each day and night.1,3
HbA1c is a helpful way to look at your average blood
sugar levels for the previous three months and it helps to predict
your risk of diabetes complications.1 But it cannot show
you the daily patterns in your sugar levels so you cannot see any
highs and lows you might be having.1 In fact, people with
the same HbA1c values could have very different blood sugar
patterns.5 A quick look at this article will help explain
the differences
between TiR and HbA1c.
Two people with the same HbA1c levels can have different blood sugar patterns.
24-hour blood sugars of a person with type 1 diabetes
HbA1c result = 7.0%
High blood sugar variability – an episode of hypoglycaemia and
a couple of episodes of hyperglycaemia
24-hour blood sugars of a different person with type 1
diabetes
HbA1c result = 7.0%
Low blood sugar variability and no hypo- or hyperglycaemia
By adding Time in Range to your diabetes management, you can get a more complete picture of your blood sugar levels. It can also help you spot any patterns in low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) during the day and night, and between different days. By using Time in Range with HbA1c, you get a personalised story about your blood sugar levels, helping you understand how they fluctuate daily and what might be causing the peaks and dips.1
“Time in Range makes it possible to plan ahead. If I’m going out, if I’m doing something that’s active, if I’m making a food choice, if I’m taking my medicine, I have that real-time data that helps me plan accordingly.”
A video snapshot of Time in Range
A diabetes expert explains how Time in Range is helping people with diabetes
Living with diabetes means an increased risk of certain health
complications, but the good news is that increasing time spent in your
target blood sugar range may help to reduce this risk.6,7
The more you know about your health, the greater your
chance of regulating and promoting it. Time in Range can help you to
better understand the daily patterns in your blood sugar levels, your
blood sugar management and your blood sugar targets.1 A
survey of people with diabetes found that Time in Range came second
only to food as the most important factor affecting their daily
lives.8
Continuous glucose monitoring and Time in Range can also help you
have more detailed discussions with your healthcare professional about
your diabetes, and better understand the advice you are given.
Together you can discuss your eating habits and physical activity as
well as your treatment choices, insulin dosage and the timing of your
doses to improve your diabetes management.1,8
By using Time in Range alongside HbA1c, you can work
with your diabetes care team to make a realistic and effective plan
for how to manage your diabetes by spending
more time within your target blood sugar range.1
This free CGM Cheat Sheet gives you the basics about starting with a CGM and TiR
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