I agree that people’s low levels do vary. Over time (T1D 37 years), I’ve discovered that my body produces physical symptoms of hypoglycemia starting at 65 mg/dL. My heart rate goes up and I start to sweat on my forehead and upper lip.
It’s good that you’ve already observed that the professional class over-reacts to even a hint of a hypo. Their concern is warranted but their timing sucks. If you follow their sentiment, you will spend too much time on the glucose roller-coaster. This added variability, by the way, is likely a main driver of severe hypoglycemia episodes (< 54 mg/dL).
It’s good to read that you are using a CGM. It is a great teacher about how your body’s glucose metabolism works, if you’re willing to pay attention.
When it’s time to treat a low, I take into consideration my IOB (insulin on board) number when deciding how many glucose tabs I will take. I definitely don’t use the standard 15/15 (take 15 grams of glucose and wait 15 minutes, test again, and repeat, if necessary) rule. I can often treat an impending hypo with 1/2 of a glucose tab providing my BG variability and my IOB are both low.
It’s good practice to learn your body’s low signals and always fingerstick if your CGM says low yet your body does not confirm. I’ve been burned more than once treating a phantom hypo and then needing to treat the inevitable hyper!
For me, cruising sideways with a CGM number in the high 60s for extended periods is not an emergency but a mark of good glucose management. For my values and system to work and be safe, it needs glucose variability, as indicated by standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV), to reside at lower levels. My SD is often around 20 mg/dL and CV (SD/average) about 22%.
When glucose variability is low, any impending hypo happens more slowly. It gives you the luxury of time to respond. Your warning levels in your CGM then do not need to be set high enough to compensate for hypos at the end of a screaming white knuckle descent. Once your glucose variability is under control, you can set your CGM alarm levels closer to your hypo symptom threshold.
By the way, I would not recommend raisins for hypo treatment. Your body has to work to access the glucose it craves. While it’s doing that work, it still sends strong signals to your brain, “More sugar!” I only use glucose tabs to treat since they are a specific quantity and if I need speed, I’ll chase them with a glass of water.
You are asking good questions. Your curiosity will serve you well in living with your diabetes! Good luck.