What Is Time in Range?

Time in Range refers to the percentage of time your blood glucose stays within your target range over a 24-hour period.

Rather than focusing on individual blood sugar readings, Time in Range looks at the bigger picture of your glucose patterns throughout the day and night.

For many adults living with diabetes, the recommended target is to spend more than 70% of the day within your target glucose range, although your ideal range may vary depending on your individual circumstances and should be discussed with your healthcare team.

The more time your glucose remains in range, the lower your risk of diabetes-related complications and the easier it becomes to feel your best each day.

Is a Finger Prick Enough?

Finger-prick testing has been an important part of diabetes management for many years, but it has limitations.

Imagine trying to understand an entire movie by looking at just one photograph.

That's exactly what a finger-prick reading does.

It gives you one number at one moment in time.

What it can't tell you is:

• Whether your glucose is rising or falling
• How long you've been above or below your target range
• What happened while you were sleeping
• How your breakfast affected you two hours later
• Whether stress or exercise caused unexpected changes

Without this information, it can be difficult to make confident decisions about food, medication and lifestyle.

How a Continuous Glucose Monitor Gives You the Full Picture

A Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) measures your glucose levels every few minutes, providing a complete picture of how your body responds throughout the day.

Instead of isolated readings, you can see:

• Real-time glucose levels
• Whether your glucose is rising, falling or staying steady
• Overnight glucose patterns
• Time spent in your target range
• Alerts when glucose becomes too high or too low
• Trends after meals, exercise, stress and sleep

This information helps you understand your body in a way that finger-prick testing simply can't.

Why Time in Range Matters

One of the biggest benefits of using a CGM is the ability to improve your Time in Range.

Rather than chasing perfect numbers, Time in Range focuses on consistency.

When you can see how your body responds to different foods, activity, stress and medications, you can begin making small changes that have a meaningful impact on your glucose levels.

Research has shown that increasing Time in Range is associated with:

• Improved HbA1c
• Reduced episodes of hypoglycaemia
• Better daily blood glucose management
• Greater confidence in self-managing diabetes
• Improved quality of life

For many people, simply understanding why their blood sugar changes is just as valuable as the numbers themselves.

Every Person Responds Differently

One of the most surprising things many people discover with a CGM is that the same meal can affect two people very differently.

Even your own response can change depending on factors such as:

• Sleep quality
• Stress
• Hormones
• Physical activity
• Illness
• Meal composition

For example, eating pasta on its own may produce a very different glucose response compared with eating the same pasta alongside chicken, vegetables and healthy fats.

A CGM allows you to see these differences in real time, making nutrition advice far more personalised.

How a Dietitian Can Help You Interpret Your CGM Data

Having access to more data is incredibly valuable, but understanding what it means is where the real difference is made.

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Diabetes Educator, I help clients understand the story behind their glucose data.

Together we look at:

• Your glucose patterns
• Your Time in Range
• Your goals
• Health expectations to ensure recommendations are achievable
• Foods that support more stable blood glucose levels
• Lifestyle factors influencing your readings
• Practical, sustainable strategies that fit your everyday life

Rather than guessing what's working, we can use real data to guide your decisions with confidence.