The CGM Blog
Managing Diabetes When You Live Alone
Enjoying solo living is absolutely possible when you live with diabetes. Here are some practical tips for looking after yourself if you live on your own.
Living alone can give you a sense of freedom and independence. But when you’re living solo, you’re responsible for everything that happens in your home—from daily chores to regular maintenance and, most importantly, looking after yourself. Managing diabetes is a demanding, 24/7 job that requires you to constantly plan ahead and juggle everyday life and household tasks with healthy routines. It’s not always easy to manage diabetes when you’re by yourself. With that in mind, you might wonder, “Can people with diabetes live alone?” In most cases, the answer is yes. Taking a proactive approach to diabetes management and staying connected to your circle of support can help you balance solo living with looking after your health.
Tips for Managing Diabetes When You Live on Your Own
Diabetes doesn’t have to hold you back from living life on your own terms. With some preparation and guidance from your doctor and diabetes care team, you can live by yourself with confidence. Here are just a few things to keep in mind as you navigate diabetes management in your household of one:
1. Establish Routines That Work for You
When you’re living with diabetes, it’s important to create routines you can stick to that support diabetes management. Eating regular meals, making time for physical activity, and getting enough sleep are just a few factors within your control that can help you manage your blood sugar, also known as glucose.
One of the benefits of living alone is that you don’t have to worry about someone else’s schedule, which may make it easier to find a schedule that works for you and your body. However, it also means that you are the only one who will keep you on track with your healthy habits. For example, you might be used to having someone else in your family buy groceries and prepare meals. Meal planning for yourself is a skill and it can take some time to learn how often you need to grocery shop, what ingredients you need to stock up on, and how much time you need to spend cooking. You can check out meal planning guides from Diabetes Canada to help you get started.
If you’ve been living with other people and are about to start living alone, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor and diabetes care team about potential changes in your daily routines. They can help you navigate the transition and provide guidance around shifting your routines or creating new habits.
2. Proactively Plan for Emergencies
Anyone who lives alone needs to think about how they might manage a medical emergency or issue in their home—like a power outage or plumbing problem—by themselves. However, people living with diabetes need to take some additional steps to make sure they are prepared for challenges that can come with the condition.
You may be worried about experiencing serious low glucose, also known as hypoglycemia, while at home alone or while you’re asleep. Some people also experience hypoglycemia unawareness, which happens when the body becomes desensitized to low glucose and stops showing symptoms when glucose drops. This can make it difficult to catch lows and take action to treat them. If you live alone, it’s smart to have a plan in case you experience a low that makes it hard to treat yourself. You might want to keep juice or soft drinks, honey, or glucose tablets on your bedside table and in various locations around your house so that you’re never far from a source of quick carbs. You might also want to come up with a shorthand for quickly communicating with a friend or loved one that you’re experiencing a low—like using a specific emoji over text—so that they can come to check on you if necessary.
It’s also a good idea to ensure that you have a stash of diabetes management supplies like blood glucose meter (BGM) lancets and test strips, glucose tablets, and insulin and syringes on hand to avoid situations where you run out and can’t get yourself to a pharmacy quickly.
3. Empower Yourself with Greater Insight into Your Glucose Levels
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems can be great tools for people managing diabetes while living by themselves. CGM systems, including Dexcom CGM Systems like Dexcom G7, can make it a little easier to see what’s going on with your glucose in the moment so that you can be proactive about preventing highs and getting ahead of lows. Using Dexcom G7 can reduce some of the stress of constantly wondering where your glucose is at, and where it’s headed, giving you greater peace of mind around glucose management when you’re at home by yourself.
Dexcom G7 CGM Systems can provide real-time glucose readings on your compatible smartphone, smartwatch, or handheld receiver without the need for routine fingersticks.*†‡ All Dexcom CGM Systems have a built-in Low Glucose Alert that can let you know the moment your glucose drops below 3.1 mmol/L and a unique predictive alert that can notify you up to 20 minutes before you’re likely to experience a low under 3.1 mmol/L.§ With real-time glucose insights and helpful notifications, you’re equipped with the information you need to keep your glucose within your ideal range (generally defined by Diabetes Canada as being between 3.9 and 10.0 mmol/L3) as often as possible.
Dexcom CGM Systems also connect to the Dexcom Follow app, which caregivers, friends, and loved ones can download on their compatible smart devices.||¶ As long as they have a Wi-Fi connection, members of your circle of support can view your glucose data in their app and even receive the same glucose alerts you get on your own device. This can make it easier to communicate with the people who can take action to help you if you do experience a glucose emergency. It can also help you feel more at ease living alone when you know that someone else has an eye on your glucose.4
4. Build Your Circle of Support to Look After Your Mental Health
While living alone can give you a sense of freedom and autonomy, it can also feel isolating at times. Living by yourself doesn’t mean you have to navigate your diabetes management journey on your own. In addition to turning to your doctor and diabetes care team for medical care, you can lean on your family, loved ones, friends, and the diabetes community as your circle of support. Social connection has been shown to help reduce the risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and anxiety. It can also help us manage stress in our lives.5
Maintaining connections with people you love to spend time with can support your diabetes management and overall sense of well-being. You might want to set up a weekly dinner with friends or family where you try out diabetes-friendly recipes. You could join a local walking or hiking club or casual sports league in your area to get in social time while staying active. Simply making time for a regular coffee date or phone call with someone who cares for you can help you blow off some steam and unwind. Making friends with your neighbours can help you feel like you’re a part of the local community. It might also give you some extra peace of mind knowing that there are people nearby who are aware that you’re living with diabetes. Look into local diabetes support groups or community groups like Connected in Motion or organizations like Diabetes Canada and Breakthrough T1D that host diabetes community events where you can meet others who are going through similar experiences with the condition.
It’s also a good idea to identify those who can take action if you’re experiencing challenges managing your diabetes. You might want to talk to one or two people in your circle of support about using Dexcom Follow and being there for you if you have a low glucose emergency, if you need help getting to medical appointments, or when you need someone to bring you meals or diabetes management supplies when you’re sick. Knowing that there are people who have your back can help ease your mental burden and reduce stress around managing diabetes when you’re not feeling your best. It might be helpful to figure out what type of support you’re looking for from others and share your expectations with them so that you can maintain your independence and feel comfortable asking for extra care when you need it.
Make Living Alone While Managing Diabetes a Little Easier with Dexcom G7
If you’re taking the leap to live by yourself, the Dexcom G7 CGM System can help you feel empowered to manage diabetes on your own and give you a greater sense of autonomy around looking after your health. With greater visibility into your glucose, you can take proactive action to reduce the likelihood of experiencing lows and address them as soon as possible if they do happen. Paired with the Dexcom Follow app, Dexcom G7 enables your caregivers, loved ones, and friends to see what’s going on with your glucose levels and—if you need it—play a supporting role in your diabetes management. This can help you feel more confident looking after yourself even if you’re not living with those who are there for you.
* Smart devices sold separately. For a list of compatible devices, please visit dexcom.com/compatibility.
† Fingersticks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.
‡ Compatible smartphone is required to pair a new Dexcom G7 sensor with an Apple Watch. Dexcom G7 users must continuously have their smartphone within 20 feet to utilize the Share/Follow features. Apple Watch is not capable of Share/Follow.
§ This predictive alert can be triggered with impending hypoglycemia (glucose of 3.1 mmol/L or below is predicted to occur within the next 20 minutes).
|| Followers must have compatible smart devices to use the Dexcom Follow app. To view a list of compatible devices, visit dexcom.com/compatibility.
¶ Separate Dexcom Follow app required. Internet connectivity required for data sharing. Followers should always confirm readings on the Dexcom G7 app or receiver before making treatment decisions.
† Fingersticks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.
‡ Compatible smartphone is required to pair a new Dexcom G7 sensor with an Apple Watch. Dexcom G7 users must continuously have their smartphone within 20 feet to utilize the Share/Follow features. Apple Watch is not capable of Share/Follow.
§ This predictive alert can be triggered with impending hypoglycemia (glucose of 3.1 mmol/L or below is predicted to occur within the next 20 minutes).
|| Followers must have compatible smart devices to use the Dexcom Follow app. To view a list of compatible devices, visit dexcom.com/compatibility.
¶ Separate Dexcom Follow app required. Internet connectivity required for data sharing. Followers should always confirm readings on the Dexcom G7 app or receiver before making treatment decisions.
1 Living with Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/living-with/index.html
2 Lega IC, Yale JF, et al. Can J Diabetes. 2023;47(7):548-559
3 Imran AS, et. al. Can J Diabetes. 2018:42(S42–S46)
4 Polonsky WH, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2021;23(3):195-202.
5 Social Connection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 27, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/about/index.html
2 Lega IC, Yale JF, et al. Can J Diabetes. 2023;47(7):548-559
3 Imran AS, et. al. Can J Diabetes. 2018:42(S42–S46)
4 Polonsky WH, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2021;23(3):195-202.
5 Social Connection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. March 27, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/about/index.html