# Dexcom G6 alerts

**URL:** <https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743>\
**Category:** T1D Tech & Daily Management Support\
**Created:** [February 2, 2024, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743 "2024-02-02T11:27:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wadawabbit](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.breakthrought1d.org/wadawabbit/32/3890_2.png) [@wadawabbit](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/u/wadawabbit)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743/1 "2024-02-02T11:27:08Z")

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Last night I started a new G6 sensor AND new G6 transmitter (I’m on Omnipod5 and the G7 is not yet compatible). Lately I’m having issues with false lows on startup - those were rarely an issue in the past.

Around 2am I got an alert that I was low (54) but my fingerstick showed 120. I calibrated and went back to bed.

Around 5am I got a LOW on my Dexcom (\<40). Fingerstick showed 80 so I had some juice and tried to go back to bed - but I’ve gotten a couple more low alerts about 30 minutes apart (starting in the 50s this time and rising). The difference is greater than 20% but calibrating too frequently can throw off the system so I left it alone.

My question is this: while I’m waiting for a snack to take effect, what can I do about the friggin’ alerts? I get them from my Omnipod controller as well so it’s overkill. Here are the low alert settings from my Dexcom.

 ![IMG_1940](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/jdrf/original/2X/5/56f80734d2e926631b7d67fff9aa54f57e05ee0e.jpeg)

Juices or sodas respond the fastest for me but it still can take a while. Any suggestions for adjusting the alerts?  
You may ask why I actually went low (50s): I went into manual mode about 8:30 last night - about the time my warmup ended (a periodic reminder that you’re in manual mode _would_ be helpful) so it looks like I need to review my basal rates.  
Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Tlholz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.breakthrought1d.org/tlholz/32/5473_2.png) [@Tlholz](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/u/Tlholz)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743/2 "2024-02-02T12:51:19Z")

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@wadawabbit Dorie, I don’t have a solution for you other than the settings that you know about. I experience the same from time to time, to my great irritation (why only at night?!). I do as you: take a tab or two or some relatively fast acting carb (juice, we don’t keep regular soda in the house). The only difference is i often sit/recline in a chair downstairs so the alerts don’t wake the wife too. Once I’ve made this move, the alarms often stop; perhaps it’s the “exercise” of changed position, walking a few feet, etc. to get the body fluids moving. Usually takes 15-20 minutes for my “treatments” to start working. The one difference I often take is to do a double calibration on the G6 if finger stick shows I’m fine (think we’ve discussed this previously); perhaps that gets the G6 false low fixed, hence, no more alarms (usually), but it often creates a false high several hours later that also requires fixing (I usually forego the double entry).

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**Author:** ![spdif](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.breakthrought1d.org/spdif/32/5548_2.png) [@spdif](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/u/spdif)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743/3 "2024-02-02T23:21:15Z")

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For the alerts coming from the Dexcom App on your phone  
[G6 Manual Page 152](https://dexcompdf.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/en-us/G6-CGM-Users-Guide-new.pdf)

> **10.4 Confirming Alarm/Alerts**  
> Alarm/alerts require you to confirm them. How this is done depends on your display  
> device. If using both display devices, you need to confirm the alarm/alert on each  
> device separately.  
> Due to its medical importance, the alarm is more persistent. Even after the alarm is  
> confirmed, if your G6 readings remain at or below 55 mg/dL, the Urgent Low Alarm will  
> sound every 30 minutes until G6 readings are above 55 mg/dL. During this 30 minutes,  
> you won’t get Low or Urgent Low Soon Alerts.

and

> Once you confirm an alert, the home screen will show the alert. You only get the alert  
> again if you go back into your target range and then re-enter the alert range

Note that confirming an alert means opening the G6 app and clicking OK on the alert message box.

If you are 100% sure the G6 is wrong and after treating you aren’t going to go low again the only way to silence the alarms on an iPhone is to quit the app. [Quit and reopen an app on iPhone - Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/quit-and-reopen-an-app-iph83bfec492/ios)

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**Author:** ![pamcklein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ea666f/32.png) [@pamcklein](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/u/pamcklein)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://forum.breakthrought1d.org/t/dexcom-g6-alerts/73743/4 "2024-02-03T02:05:28Z")

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I had this problem with a new G6 recently. I calibrated 3X within 15 mins, which a Dexcom rep had told me to do in the past. It worked fine after that. So, if it happens again, this is what I would suggest.

Pam K.  
T1D 59.6 years and counting!