Based on personal experience, conversations with experts, and a literature review, this is a partial list of factors that can affect blood glucose. They are separated into five areas: food, medication, activity, biological, and environmental factors. In most cases, the arrows show the general effect these factors have on my own blood glucose (a sideways arrow indicates a neutral effect), but not every individual will respond in the same way (and even within the same person, things may be different from day-to-day or over time). Certain factors may also apply more to type 1 than to type 2 diabetes (or vice versa). Factors with up and down arrows are, of course, the most challenging; they sometimes increase blood glucose and sometimes decrease it. The best way to see how a factor affects your patients is through their real-world experience of checking their blood glucose more often or wearing a CGM device. What patterns emerge in the collected glucose data, and what factors could be driving those patterns? Explanations behind each factor can be found at www.diaTribe.org/factors. BG, blood glucose.