Setting a goal can be key to getting where you want to go but it's not always easy. Goals should challenge but also be achievable to avoid being demotivated in case you don't get all the way.
In the article we'll cover the different type of goals we support at Steady and some general principles for coming up with good ones.
First, let's go through the different goals that are available to set in our app.
Your personal range
The standard range for people with diabetes is 70-180 mg/dL. If you are recently diagnosed or setting goals for the first time, this is a great range to start with. If you have pre-diabetes we recommend 70-140 mg/dL.
A1C
Hemoglobin A1C is the most standardized metric to determine how well controlled diabetes is. A1C is typically done as a blood test which gives you the result but it can also be estimated using data from a CGM. The gold standard for good control is an A1C below 7% but if you're starting out higher it might make sense to start with a more reachable goal and take it step by step.
If you have pre-diabetes we recommend an A1C goal of 5.6% or below.
Time in Range
This relatively new metric is defined by the portion of any day you spend "In Range", meaning within the range you defined earlier. This is a great metric as you need less data to see your progress. If you're living with diabetes and have your range set to 70-180 a good starting goal is 70% Time in Range
If you have pre-diabetes and have your range set to 70-140 you can also use 70% Time in Range as a good starting point.
Time in Low
Time in Low is defined as the amount of minutes you spend below your low limit. Typically this limit is 70 mg/dL and its set in your range above. The standard recommendation is for you to spend less than 4% of your day low which translates to less than 60 minutes per day.
Urgent lows
Number of urgent lows is a goal that Steady has come up with. We know going low can be very dangerous so keeping the number of times you reach below 55 mg/dL minimal is key to safety. An urgent low will be counted as soon as you spend 15 minutes or more below this threshold. We recommend less than 4 urgent lows per week but if you're suffering from hypoglycemia frequently you might want to start higher.
Intervention threshold
This is a special goal used by our care team as the limit for when we proactively check in with you. When your Time in Range goes below this limit for two weeks our systems will know that you might need some help and our care team will reach out.