When you look at your CGM trend arrows, directional symbols on a continuous glucose monitor that show the speed and direction of your blood sugar changes. Also known as glucose trend indicators, these little arrows are one of the most powerful tools you have for staying ahead of highs and lows. They don’t just tell you your current number—they tell you if your sugar is shooting up, dropping fast, or holding steady. That’s huge. Knowing your glucose is 145 is useful. Knowing it’s climbing 3 points per minute? That’s life-changing.
These arrows work with your continuous glucose monitoring, a system that tracks blood sugar levels throughout the day using a small sensor under the skin. The sensor sends data every 5 minutes to your phone or device, and the algorithm calculates the trend. Up arrows mean your sugar is rising—slowly, moderately, or rapidly. Down arrows mean it’s falling. Flat arrows mean it’s stable. Some systems even use double arrows for sharp changes. If you’re on insulin, this isn’t just helpful—it’s critical. A rising arrow tells you to act before you hit 200. A falling arrow warns you to grab a snack before you crash.
People with diabetes management, the ongoing process of controlling blood sugar through diet, medication, and monitoring to prevent complications. use these arrows to make smarter choices in real time. Need to take insulin? Wait until the arrow flattens or turns down—don’t guess. Eating carbs? Check the arrow first. If it’s already dropping, you might not need as much insulin as you think. If it’s climbing fast after a meal, you might need to adjust your next dose. And if you’re active? A sudden down arrow might mean you need to eat before your workout turns dangerous.
It’s not just about numbers. It’s about patterns. Over time, you’ll start seeing what triggers certain arrows. Coffee on an empty stomach? Up arrow. Walking after dinner? Down arrow. Stress at work? Flat but high. Once you connect the dots, you stop reacting—you start predicting. That’s the real power of CGM trend arrows. They turn guesswork into strategy.
You’ll find real-world examples of this in the posts below—from how people use trend arrows to avoid nighttime lows, to how they tweak their meals based on what the arrows show, to why some medications make the arrows behave differently. Whether you’re new to CGM or you’ve been using one for years, there’s something here that will help you read the arrows better, act faster, and feel more in control.
Learn how to use CGM trend arrows to adjust insulin and other diabetes meds proactively, prevent dangerous lows and highs, and spend more time in target range with evidence-based dosing rules.