Diabetes Distress: Taming Alarms & Alerts
How to audit and adjust your CGM and pump alarms to reduce tech-related diabetes distress. Neil explores the research, shares practical insights, and provides tools for managing the mental load of T1D. What You'll Learn • Alarm fatigue -...
The episode, word for word
I'm Neil Greathouse, I've been living with type 1 diabetes since 1992, and this is Your Best T1D Year.
This is Episode 109, and today we're talking about technology, specifically, the alarms and alerts that can either save your life... or drive you crazy.
We're in Week 36, and this month we've been breaking down diabetes distress. We've named it, measured it, tracked triggers, and looked at support. Now let's get real about the beeping, buzzing, and vibrating gadgets we strap to our bodies.
If you've ever been jolted awake at 3am by your CGM, you know that distress isn't just emotional, it's physical. Your heart rate spikes, your adrenaline kicks in, and suddenly you're wide awake, trying to figure out if you're crashing or climbing.
For me, there have been nights where my pump and CGM were dueling for attention like two toddlers fighting over who gets the last Oreo. Add in the phone buzzing on the nightstand and it's basically a one-man rave I never signed up for.
That constant noise? It wears you down. It's a huge driver of diabetes distress.
Studies have found that CGM alarms and alerts are double-edged swords:
On one hand, they prevent dangerous highs and lows.
On the other, too many false or repetitive alarms increase stress, burnout, and even lead people to stop using the tech altogether.
It's called alarm fatigue. And yes, it's a real thing. Researchers have linked daily diabetes distress to the way people interact with their tech. Too many alarms = higher distress.
Here's how to start taming the chaos:
Audit your alarms.
Go into your pump/CGM settings and ask, "Do I really need this one?" For example, do you need a high alert at 160 and 180, or is one enough?
Adjust thresholds.
If your low alert is going off at 85 but you're always treating at 70, move the alert closer to reality. Make tech work for you, not against you.
Use silence wisely.
Some devices let you snooze alarms for a set period. It's not ignoring, it's managing your mental load.
Create "alert zones."
Set different thresholds for daytime and nighttime. You might want tighter control during the day, but less noise while you're trying to sleep.
Think of this as decluttering your digital house. Marie Kondo for diabetes tech: if the alarm doesn't spark joy, or at least spark safety, consider turning it off.
Alarms are kind of like the boy who cried wolf. If they go off too often, you stop listening. Or worse, you get that "is this a real alert or just another false alarm?" hesitation. It's like your devices are trying to become that one friend who texts "urgent" but really just wants you to watch their favorite cat video.
Next week, we'll zoom out a little and talk about reframing the "scoreboards" of diabetes, A1C and Time in Range, and how they're not mental health grades.
But for now, here's the encouragement: you're allowed to adjust your tech so it serves you instead of stresses you out. Alarms are supposed to keep you safe, not sabotage your sanity.
Type 1 diabetes is exhausting. But managing it every single day doesn't have to be. You're not doing a bad job, you're doing a difficult job. Nobody remembers easy. And I'm proud of you for continuing to build habits that lighten the mental load.
This episode is supported by Blue Circle Health. They know that people with type 1 are often drowning in details, numbers, devices, insurance battles. Blue Circle Health helps cut through the noise so you can focus on actually living, not just managing. Learn more at BlueCircleHealth.org.
This is Your Best T1D Year. New episodes drop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
"By the way, if you're curious where you land on this whole diabetes distress scale, you don't have to go digging through the internet, I've already linked both versions of the quiz on yourbestt1dyear.com. Super easy. Just tap the link in my bio, or head straight there and you'll find it waiting."
This is Episode 112, and next time we're gonna wrap this month up and give you a sneak peek at November.
112 - October 31
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.