- Rapid-acting insulin, or insulin that works 15 minutes after injecting it. This type of insulin usually peaks after about an hour, and can last for 2 to 4 hours.
- Regular or short-acting insulin works about 30 minutes after injection. It peaks after 2 to 3 hours, and is effective for about 3 to 6 hours.
- Intermediate-acting insulin takes longer to work, about 2-4 hours after injection. It peaks 4 to 12 hours after and lasts for 12 to 18 hours
- The last type of insulin is known as long-acting insulin. This type of insulin reaches the bloodstream about 2 hours after injection, and lasts over 24 hours.
Insulin can be injected by the patient on their own, and they are usually taught by their doctor how to do it safely. This is an important part of type 1 diabetes treatment guidelines.
There are also devices that can administer insulin automatically. These are usually connected to blood sugar monitors and are especially useful for the elderly, since they might forget to take their insulin.
The goal of insulin therapy is to keep a diabetic’s blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. To ensure that they take the right kind and dosage of insulin, glucose monitoring or monitoring the blood sugar level is very important.
Glucose monitoring
Along with insulin therapy, glucose monitoring is another important part of type 1 diabetes treatment guidelines.
Some diabetics use a device that takes a blood sample and checks the level of glucose in their blood. This is what most diabetics use, and you might have already seen one in television or film, or even in person.
A continuous glucose monitor is another device that diabetics use. As their namesake suggests, continuous glucose monitors can check a diabetic’s sugar levels constantly without the need to prick their skin to get a blood sample. Instead, it uses a thin needle that stays in the skin and helps it monitor blood sugar constantly.
One caveat of this however is that these types of monitors are not yet as accurate as standard blood sugar monitoring.
Typically, type 1 diabetes patients check their glucose levels at least 4-10 times a day. This not only helps make sure that their blood sugar levels are normal, but also helps them know if the therapy they are using to manage diabetes is effective or not.
Change in diet
It is also important for type 1 diabetes patients to change their diets to suit the right type 1 diabetes treatment guidelines. A change in diet is important when it comes to managing type 1 diabetes symptoms.
Most people commonly associated the “diabetic diet” to bland tasting foods, or avoiding sugar entirely. However, the “diabetic diet” is not actually as restrictive as most people think.
Diabetics need to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and cut back on fatty foods, animal protein, and carbohydrates. This type of diet is actually not much different from the ideal diet that most doctors and nutritionists would recommend.
What is the Diabetic Diet?
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