Creating your profile

Your Nightscout profile contains essential information about your diabetes management settings. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up and customizing your profile in Nightscout Pro.

Accessing the Profile Editor

1. Log in to your Nightscout site
   • Navigate to your Nightscout URL (https://your-site-name.region.nightscoutpro.com)
   • If prompted, enter your authentication credentials
2. Open the Profile Editor
   1. Click on the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner
   1. Select “Profile Editor” from the dropdown menu

Understanding the Profile Editor Interface

The Profile Editor displays several sections that allow you to customize your diabetes management parameters:

General Site Settings

At the top of the Profile Editor, you’ll see your site’s general settings:

• Title: The name displayed at the top of your Nightscout site
• Units: Your preferred glucose measurement units (mg/dL or mmol/L)
• Date Format: How dates are displayed throughout your site

Profile Management

Nightscout allows you to create multiple profiles for different situations. You can:

• View Active Profile: The currently active profile is displayed by default
• Switch Between Profiles: Use the “Stored Profiles” dropdown to select different profiles
• Add a Profile: Click the “+” button to create a new profile
• Delete a Profile: Click the “X” button to remove a profile
• Clone a Profile: Duplicate an existing profile to create a new one with the same settings

Setting Up Your Profile

Each profile contains several important settings that help Nightscout display and calculate information correctly:

Basic Profile Information

1. Profile Name: Give your profile a descriptive name (e.g., “Weekday,” “Weekend,” “Sick Day”)
2. Timezone: Set your local timezone for accurate time-based calculations
3. Duration of Insulin Action (DIA): How long insulin remains active in your body (consult your healthcare provider if unsure)

Insulin to Carb Ratio (I:C)

This setting defines how many grams of carbohydrates one unit of insulin covers:

1. Click the “+” button to add a time period
2. Set the time of day
3. Enter your insulin to carb ratio for that time period
4. Add additional time periods if your ratio varies throughout the day

Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF)

This setting defines how much one unit of insulin lowers your blood glucose:

1. Click the “+” button to add a time period
2. Set the time of day
3. Enter your insulin sensitivity factor for that time period
4. Add additional time periods if your sensitivity varies throughout the day

Carbs Absorption Rate

This setting helps calculate active carbohydrates:

1. Enter the time (in hours) it typically takes for carbohydrates to be fully absorbed
2. This helps calculate Carbs on Board (COB)

Basal Rates

If your uploader doesn’t send pump basal rates to Nightscout, you can manually enter them:

1. Click the “+” button to add a time period
2. Set the time of day
3. Enter your basal rate for that time period
4. Add additional time periods to match your pump’s basal profile

Target Blood Glucose Range

Define your target blood glucose range:

1. Click the “+” button to add a time period
2. Set the time of day
3. Enter your target low and high values
4. Add additional time periods if your target range varies throughout the day

Saving Your Profile

After configuring your profile:

1. Authenticate: Enter your API Secret in the authentication field
2. Save: Click the “Save” button to store your profile
3. Confirm: Verify that your changes have been saved successfully

Understanding Database Records

When you modify a profile and save it, the entire database record is updated. This means:

• All periods of time using this specific profile since the database record’s “Valid time and date” will reflect your profile modifications
• If you don’t want this behavior, create a new database record and recreate your profiles in this new record

You can: – Add a record with the “+” button – Delete a record with the “X” button (this will delete the corresponding profiles information in the time frame of the record) – Duplicate a record with the clone button

Best Practices

• Consult Healthcare Providers: Work with your healthcare team to determine the appropriate values for your profile settings
• Regular Updates: Review and update your profile settings regularly as your treatment needs change
• Multiple Profiles: Create different profiles for different situations (e.g., exercise days, sick days, travel)
• Documentation: Keep a record of your profile settings for reference

Your Nightscout profile is a critical component of your diabetes management system. Taking the time to set it up correctly will ensure that your Nightscout site provides accurate and useful information for you and your care team.