How to use an app to help manage your diabetes

We learn how an app can make the road of managing your diabetes smoother and hump-free.

If you’re reading this, you already know how much goes on behind the scenes to manage your diabetes. You have to think about what happened recently, what’s happening right now and what you expect to happen in the coming hours. You’ve probably gotten so good that you don’t even consciously think about most of it, you just do it.

Then there’s the big-picture stuff: how you’re doing over a longer period of time. If you’re like many people, you don’t think about this until there’s a doctor’s appointment right around the corner.

Where does an app come in?

Keeping so much information in your brain doesn’t make sense. You can feel overwhelmed and unsure of your next move, second guess your decisions or get frustrated. That’s completely normal, and a good reason to outsource.

For certain parts of diabetes management, computers do better than humans: recording information and remembering it when requested, monitoring something over and over again, performing a task around the clock or spotting patterns and trends. Computers, especially smartphones, are perfect for a lot of diabetes-related work. They’re powerful and portable, they’re almost always with you, they’re connected to the world and they’re packed with sensors.

Being able to outsource diabetes work to an app on your smartphone means you have that much more brainpower for more important things in life.

How to use an app for your diabetes management

The future of diabetes data management is automated. With the mySugr app, the Accu-Chek Instant® will log your blood glucose measurements automatically. With a tap of your finger, you can quickly add details about your meals, your meds and any other information you think is important. You can even customise the logging screen, so you don’t waste time dealing with things that aren’t important for you.

The mySugr app can automatically pull in activity data from your phone so you can see exercise information alongside your blood glucose levels. Location services make it possible to search for past experiences, like eating at a restaurant. With two taps, you can see everything you’ve tried at that restaurant and how your blood glucose responded. Having this type of information at your fingertips helps you make more informed decisions. That’s powerful!

You add the context

To give your story even more detail, you can add context:

• Meal photos – Quick manual entry to help you manage your post-meal questions.
• Notes – Add a quick note when something is out of the ordinary or if it helps explain a decision you made. You’ll even be able to search them later.
• Tags – By far, it’s the easiest way to add useful information to your entry. You can select a tag for many common situations.

How many times has your doctor asked, “What happened here?” while looking over your reports? Now, you can just pull up the mySugr app on your smartphone and explain everything. It’s a great way to get the most out of an appointment.

So much is automated now, thanks to apps like mySugr and connected meters. Don’t feel like you have to do everything for your diabetes management. You have lots of help around!

How to connect?

Connecting your Accu-Chek Instant with mySugr is a snap. First things first, have your smartphone and your Accu-Chek meter handy. *

Once you have downloaded the mySugr app to your smartphone, follow the four easy steps below:

1. Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth and select Connections from the menu.
2. Select your Accu-Chek Instant from the list shown and tap Connect Now.
3. Follow the instructions on your smartphone screen.
4. Find the matching PIN on the back of your meter just below the battery and enter it into your phone.

Voilà! Your device is now connected. From here on out, the mySugr app will act as chief communication officer between you and your Accu-Chek Instant. That means any settings adjusted within the mySugr app will be transferred to your Accu-Chek Instant meter once synchronisation is complete.

*Some users find it easier to have the PIN from the back of their Accu-Chek Instant written down ahead of time for easier visibility before starting the pairing process.

To check if your mobile device is compatible with the mySugr app, please contact our customer support team. For more information, contact your healthcare professional.