I’ve used my Oura Ring the past few years to track my sleep, recovery and stress. I’m constantly experimenting with the latest health tech, so I was naturally intrigued when Oura Ring recently partnered with Dexcom’s Stelo, a continuous glucose monitor designed for people without diabetes. The goal of this collaboration is to help everyday people like me understand how food and general eating habits affect our blood sugar and overall health.
“By combining Stelo data with Oura’s existing insights, we’re empowering members to better understand the cause-and-effect relationships between eating patterns, energy, mood and recovery — and ultimately make sustainable, science-backed lifestyle changes,” Maz Brumand, vice president of product for Oura, told CNET.
I tested the Stelo CGM with my Oura Ring for two weeks, and it changed the way I eat and move. This type of biofeedback is helpful for everyone, even those without diabetes.
Your blood sugar, or blood glucose, refers to the measurement of sugar in your blood. According to the Cleveland Clinic, glucose is the main source of energy for your body — it’s what powers your muscles, brain and even your cells. When you eat certain foods (particularly carbohydrates), your glucose rises, and your body responds by releasing insulin to shuttle that sugar into cells for energy or storage. But if you experience frequent spikes or crashes — even if you don’t have diabetes — it can affect your energy, sleep, mood and even long-term metabolic health. When your body doesn’t need glucose immediately, it stores it as glycogen in your muscles and liver.
For people with diabetes, monitoring glucose levels is crucial. But is it important to do the same for the rest of us without a diagnosis? To an extent, I think so. Monitoring your blood sugar throughout the day and seeing how your body reacts to different foods can reveal a lot about your cravings, sleep and metabolic health. “Glucose is a real-time window into metabolic health, which underpins how we feel day to day — our energy, focus, mood and sleep — and how resilient we are over time,” Brumand says.
Can I buy a glucose monitor over the counter?
You don’t need to have a prescription to purchase a glucose monitor, like the one I tried out from Stelo. With the rise of over-the-counter wearable glucose sensors like te Stelo, those without diabetes can now get insights into how their eating habits affect their bodies (without finger pricks or a prescription).
“Clinical studies show that even in healthy individuals, a moderate glucose spike (rise above 140mg/dL) can occur on a daily basis. In fact, research suggests that healthy adults will live above 140mg/dL for about 30 minutes, up to 2 hours a day, which is usually one to three short-lived glucose spikes,” says Renee Fitton, registered dietitian and director of education at L-Nutra, a nutrition technology company.
Fitton further explained that the number and frequency of glucose spikes depend on various factors, primarily what and when you’re eating. These spiked can also be affected by other factors like stress level, exercise, dehydration and even whether you have a sunburn.
Many glucose monitors use a custom range that adapts to your body’s baseline and patterns over time. When looking at your graph, it’s important to keep in mind that context and trends matter more than one-off spikes. For example, seeing a spike after dessert isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s a sign that your body is doing its job. What matters most is how quickly your glucose returns to baseline and how often your levels stay elevated over time.
Once in place, I paired it to the Stelo app, and it automatically reflected within the Oura app. Each sensor tracks your glucose level 24/7 for up to 15 days.
Fitton explains that this is primarily due to what happens in our digestive tract, even before the nutrients get to our bloodstream. Protein, fiber and healthy fats work in their own way to slow the absorption of simple carbohydrates into the bloodstream, making a slower, more gradual release of sugars into the blood. These factors turn what could be a glucose spike into a steady rise that your body can clear gradually.
“The biggest area of concern when managing our blood sugar levels is limiting refined carbohydrates. When you do choose a refined-carb item (a plain cracker, white flour tortilla, cookies and so on), try to pair it instead of eating it solo: add cheese, nut butter or a handful of edamame to blunt the glucose rise, and choose a higher-fiber version of your carbohydrate source when possible (for example, whole-grain crackers) so the carbs come packaged with their own speed limit,” Fitton says.
Cake and a walk equal steady blood sugar?
One of the more surprising things I learned was that blood sugar stability isn’t just about what you eat. It’s also about what you do after you eat. One afternoon, I had a slice of cake for a snack. No fiber or protein added, just the cake (I had lunch a few hours before).
Instead of my blood sugar spiking, my glucose levels remained steadily in range. The caveat? I took a brisk walk after having my dessert. It wasn’t anything strenuous, just a short 15-minute walk around my neighborhood. But it was enough to help my body process and use the glucose more efficiently.
“The body knows that exercise demands more energy, and so it helps open up our cells to soak up sugar (energy) and remove it from our blood. A 10-minute walk burns about 30 to 40 calories, and your body will get that energy from circulating glucose or stored glycogen,” Fitton explained.
Pair carbs and sweets with protein, fiber and healthy fats
When I had a berry smoothie with protein powder and soy milk, my glucose levels stayed steady. In contrast, when I had a fruit smoothie earlier that week, my blood sugar levels spiked and crashed more quickly.
Takeaway: Carbs on their own, especially refined and processed carbs, can spike blood sugar quickly, but adding protein or fat slows digestion and leads to a more gentle spike.
Food pairing examples: Apples and peanut butter, toast with avocado, rice with beans or another protein.
Walk it out (especially after sweets)
When I had cake as a snack, I was sure my graph would spike dramatically, but it didn’t because of my walk (and eating a balanced meal before).
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