A brand-new Dexcom G7 sensor can be a little bumpy for its first few hours. “Soaking” is a simple habit that gets those hours out of the way before you rely on the new sensor: you put the new sensor on early, while your old one is still working, and start it later. The G7’s 12-hour grace period makes room for exactly that. Here’s how it works, step by step, and how Gluroo helps.
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What is CGM sensor soaking?
Soaking means inserting a new CGM sensor a few hours before you need it, without starting it in your CGM app yet. Your old sensor keeps sending your numbers while the new one quietly settles in on your body. When you switch over, the new sensor is already past its bumpy start.
Why soak?
Every CGM sensor has a tiny, flexible filament that sits just under your skin. Putting it in is a small poke, and your body takes a little while to get used to it. During the first hours, readings can bounce around more than usual. This is true of CGMs in general, not one brand: studies across CGM brands find that the first day of wear is the least accurate. Soaking simply lets that settling-in happen before you depend on the new sensor.
The secret: the G7’s 12-hour grace period
A Dexcom G7 sensor lasts 10 days, and the G7 15 Day lasts 15 days. After that, both keep working normally for a 12-hour grace period. That grace period is your soaking window:
- Put on the new sensor at about the time your old sensor’s grace period starts (day 10, or day 15 on the G7 15 Day). It doesn’t have to be exact.
- Let it soak. After a short warm-up (30 minutes on the G7, 60 minutes on the G7 15 Day), the first few hours are when readings are most likely to be jumpy. Your old sensor is still covering you.
- Switch over anywhere from about 4 to 12 hours after putting it on, and no later than when the old sensor’s grace period ends.
Your numbers never stop, and you still change sensors on the same 10- or 15-day schedule.
The routine, step by step
- Day 10 (or 15): put on the new sensor. Scan the applicator in Gluroo. Don’t start the new sensor in the Dexcom G7 app yet.
- Wait. Let it soak for about 4 to 12 hours. Your old sensor keeps reading during its grace period.
- Switch. In the Dexcom G7 app, end the old sensor, then pair the new one with its 4-digit code.
- Done. In Gluroo, tap “Log G7 starting this sensor” so Gluroo logs the switch. Then remove the old sensor.
How Gluroo helps
Most logs treat “new sensor” as one moment. Gluroo keeps two: when you put a sensor on, and when you start it in the Dexcom G7 app.
- Put on and started are logged separately. While the new sensor soaks, the Devices card shows your old sensor as “still active” and the new one as “soaking”, with the hours counting up.
- Your GluCrew sees the soak too, so nobody wonders why there are two sensors.
- The pairing code is saved. When you scan the applicator, Gluroo keeps the 4-digit code, so you don’t need the applicator when it’s time to switch.
- One tap when you switch: “Log G7 starting this sensor” records the start, and how long the sensor soaked.
- Not soaking this time? When you scan a new sensor, choose “Log start of sensor in G7 app immediately (no soaking)”.
Using an Omnipod 5?
Switching to a new sensor has one more step: your Omnipod 5 app needs the new sensor’s serial number too. If you scan the applicator in Gluroo when you put the sensor on, Gluroo saves both the 4-digit code and the serial number. When you tap “Log G7 starting this sensor”, Gluroo shows both, lets you copy the serial number, and “Speak Code and Serial Number” opens the Omnipod 5 app and reads them out loud while you type.
Good to know
- Talk with your care team first. Soaking is a practice the diabetes community came up with. It isn’t part of the Dexcom G7 instructions.
- Stay inside the 12 hours. Activate and switch to the new sensor no later than when the old sensor’s grace period ends.
- Trust how you feel. If readings don’t match your symptoms, check with a fingerstick.
- Using an Omnipod 5? Update both apps. The 4-digit code goes in the Dexcom G7 app, and the serial number goes in the Omnipod 5 app.
This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from your healthcare provider. Always consult with your diabetes care team for personalized guidance on CGM management and diabetes care. Dexcom and Dexcom G7 are trademarks of Dexcom, Inc. Omnipod and Omnipod 5 are trademarks of Insulet Corporation. Gluroo is not affiliated with Dexcom or Insulet.