03 Apr Tips to Beat Alarm Fatigue
Beeping, buzzing, humming, thrumming, shaking, flashing—these noises have become the soundtrack of my life. If you’re someone like me, living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), you’re likely very familiar with the relentless symphony of alarms that accompany our daily routines.
At first, these alerts were reassuring. They were my lifeline, alerting me to when my blood sugar was running too high or dangerously low. They gave me the opportunity to take quick action, keeping me safe. But over time, the beeps that once comforted me started to feel more like a never-ending nuisance. I began to wonder, “Why is this always going off?”
I’m not alone. My parents, as my biggest supporters, have walked beside me through every beep and buzz. Alarm fatigue is something that affects all of us, and their support is crucial in helping me navigate the emotional toll that comes with constant alerts. Together, we’ve learned how to manage these alarms without sacrificing my health or our peace of mind. I want to share with you, whether you have T1D or you’re supporting someone who does, how we cope with this occasionally frustrating reality (while still be exceptionally grateful for access to this potentially lifesaving technology).
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at alarm fatigue: How it happens, what it feels like, and—most importantly—how to manage it without compromising your health. Because, let’s face it, while we’re all in this for better blood sugar control, we deserve peace of mind, too.
The Frustration of Constant Alerts
Managing T1D is tough. Every day is a balancing act—trying to keep my blood sugar within a safe range while living my life. The constant feedback from my continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can sometimes feel like a double-edged sword. For example, the alert after eating something where I probably underestimated the carbs–it feels like an instant reminder of a mistake, no matter how minor, adding an emotional layer to the already challenging task of managing my diabetes.
The Reality of Alarm Fatigue
There’s a term for this phenomenon: Alarm fatigue. Originally coined in healthcare settings, alarm fatigue describes the process of becoming desensitized to alarms due to their frequency and persistent nature. In the healthcare industry, workers face it because of the continuous beeping from medical devices. But, it’s also happening more and more to people with diabetes, especially with the rise of valuable, advanced technologies like I have (a CGM and insulin pump).
Alarm fatigue is more than just the annoyance of the noise. It’s the emotional toll it takes, the mental exhaustion, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the non-stop beeps. It sometimes causes my mind to tune them out. For someone with T1D, it’s not an option to ignore these alarms. They’re a vital part of our safety net. But, finding a balance is key.
Ways to Minimize Alerts and Combat Alarm Fatigue
The first step in addressing alarm fatigue is learning how to minimize the number of alerts we get. Here are some tips that have worked for me:
- Adjust the High Alert Threshold: Sometimes raising the high alert limit can be helpful. This gives a little more wiggle room before an alert goes off, reducing unnecessary interruptions.
- Relax the Rate of Change Alerts: Consider adjusting or turning off the rate of change alarms, especially for situations where your glucose is rising gradually. This can help reduce the noise when things aren’t immediately critical.
- Choose Your Alert Sounds Carefully: I found that choosing a more pleasant, less jarring sound for my high alerts made a difference. It’s a small thing, but it helps reduce the irritation when I hear the beeps repeat. As a parent, letting your child pick their alert sounds (while ensuring safety) can also help make the experience a bit more tolerable.
- Use Amplification Tricks: I’ve also experimented with placing my phone, where I receive alerts from my CGM, in a glass. Yes, it sounds silly, but it worked for me. It amplifies the sound. This helps me hear alerts more clearly at night. If you’re someone who has trouble waking up to alarms, this might be worth trying. Also, use duplicate alerts. If you’re using multiple devices (like a phone AND a CGM), it can be helpful to have alerts on both so that you’re receiving and hearing them from different sources. It can add to frustration over frequency of alerts during the day, but it can also help you respond to low blood sugars at night, which feels more important to me. This brings me to a big concern…
What Happens When You Stop Hearing Your Alerts?
Alarm fatigue isn’t just about the constant noise; it’s also about when you start to not hear them. I’m not talking about the “Oh, I’ve had a long day and didn’t notice the beep” scenario. I mean, the alarming moments when you’ve become desensitized to the constant beeping and vibration of your devices, and they no longer register in your mind. It’s a dangerous zone to be in. What happens when you can’t wake up to those middle-of-the-night alarms?
For me, this issue became a reality. I started adjusting my alert sounds, trying different tones, even amplifying the sound by placing my device in a glass to make the vibration louder. But sometimes, those changes aren’t enough. Sometimes, it’s just the fact that you’ve reached your threshold for beeping, buzzing, and flashing. It’s then that alarm fatigue really starts to take hold, and it’s something I worry about and have wrestled with.
I rely on two things:
- Get the whole family involved. My parents follow my CGM and receive alerts on their phones so that I have a backup (day AND night).
- Sugar Pixel. (This is not sponsored!) It’s a device that displays blood glucose readings from my Dexcom G7 (and other compatible CGMS) in a large, easy-to-see format that resembles a retro clock. (My mom jokes that she loves it because she can see it easily without having to grab reading glasses in the middle of the night. It features customizable audio and vibration alerts, including random tone generation for alerts that are less likely to be ignored.You can choose from various display formats, including color-coded glucose values, trends, and even emoji, and you can adjust the alerts, brightness, and other settings through a companion app. It connects to CGM systems via Wi-Fi, allowing you to monitor blood sugar levels from anywhere. Some models even include a small vibrating puck for those who are hard of hearing or prefer vibration alerts. I’ve used one and loved it, but more recently decided to temporarily pack away my Sugar Pixel until I’m living independently or in a dorm and don’t have my parents down the hall. I wanted to take extra steps to ensure that I don’t tune its alarm out by the time I truly need it. I’ve just temporarily tucked this tool back in the toolbox, but I’ll use it if I’m not responding to alerts on my phone and/or when I’m not living at home. Again, this isn’t an ad. Just sharing something that works for me.
Communication and Support: A Lifeline
Managing diabetes is a team effort, especially when you’re sharing glucose data with family. The role of relationships and communication is important, especially when you’re trying to find the balance between safety and independence. That takes time and open communication. For my parents and me, clear communication about my glucose targets, alarm preferences, and what’s happening with my devices has been key. It’s also crucial to have those conversations with your healthcare team. Discussing your goals for glucose management and deciding which alerts are most important can help reduce alarm fatigue without compromising your health. Please discuss any or all of my suggestions with your healthcare team. I want to share my experience, which in no way should replace medical advice from experts and professionals.
If there’s one thing that stays with you from this post, I hope you remember that alarm fatigue is not something you have to face alone. Having someone close to you who understands can make all the difference. My parents help me manage my emotions around the constant alerts and remind me to take a step back when things get overwhelming.
Visit with your providers about how to safely experiment with different alert settings. It’s all about finding a balance between living well and being safe with T1D while preserving your mental and emotional health. –Ellie