Best time to take Mealtime Insulin

Benefits and the Best time to take Mealtime Insulin

Mealtime insulins are fast-acting insulins. They’re taken immediately before or after meals to help control blood sugar spikes that happen when you eat. Your doctor will most likely prescribe mealtime insulin to take on top of long-acting insulin.
Mealtime insulin works differently than other types of insulin. The major difference between the different types of insulin is how quickly they start acting in the blood and how long they’re effective.
Rapid-acting (mealtime) insulin, sometimes called bolus insulin, is designed to quickly act on blood sugar during a meal. The effects of this type of insulin can start in as little as five minutes and peak after about an hour. It works for roughly three hours.

Regular (short-acting) insulin begins to work 30 minutes after injection, peaks around two hours after the injection, and works for between five and eight hours.

Long-acting insulin also called basal or background insulin, works in your body throughout the day to control your blood sugar, even when you’re not eating. The effects usually start about two to four hours after injection, and last for between 18 and 42 hours, depending on the exact brand of basal insulin.

Intermediate-acting insulin is similar to long-acting insulin, except it doesn’t work for quite as long. It reaches the bloodstream about two hours after injection and is effective for about 12 to 16 hours. You’ll have to take more doses of intermediate-acting insulin throughout the day.

Combination or mixed insulin, also known as basal-bolus therapy, includes both long-acting insulin and rapid-acting insulin in the same vial. An injection more closely imitates how the body’s insulin would naturally work throughout a typical day.

The biggest benefit of taking mealtime insulin on top of a long-acting or intermediate regimen is that it allows you to closely match how your own body would naturally release insulin if it was able to do so.

Another advantage is that it allows your mealtimes to be flexible. As long as you remember to take your mealtime insulin 15 to 20 minutes before your meal or snack, you can eat your meals whenever you’d like.

When you eat a meal, sugar levels in the blood can rise rapidly. This “spike” in blood sugar may be too high for long-acting insulin to control. This is when your doctor may want to add mealtime insulin to your long-acting therapy or prescribe combination insulin.

Your doctor will likely recommend that you add mealtime insulin to your long-acting insulin if your glucose levels are still too high after eating a meal.
But you’ll also take the mealtime insulin right before you eat your meals (such as right before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before a large snack).
As the name suggests, mealtime insulin is taken at mealtimes, usually right before a meal.

Before you inject mealtime insulin, you’ll have to determine what dose you need. The dose you take depends on how many carbohydrates you plan on eating in your meal.

The higher the number of carbohydrates, the more that food will raise your blood sugar. This means you’ll need more insulin. You’ll also need to watch what you eat and avoid foods high in processed sugar and carbohydrates.

In addition to your diet, exercise also has an effect on how much insulin you need to inject at mealtimes. Exercise can increase sensitivity to insulin for up to 48 hours and may require a reduction to insulin doses.

Insulin shots work fastest when given in the abdomen. Each mealtime injection of insulin should be given in the same general part of the body (but not the exact same spot) for best results.

Research shows that the best time to take a mealtime insulin is 15 to 20 minutes before you eat a meal. You can also take it after your meal, but this may put you at a higher risk of a hypoglycemic episode.

Don’t panic if you forget to take your insulin before your meal. Instead, take it at the end of the meal and keep an eye on your blood glucose.

One disadvantage of mealtime insulin is the need to inject yourself with insulin multiple times per day.

One side effect of mealtime insulin is weight gain. Weight gain while on insulin can be difficult to manage, but there are ways to keep it under control.

Mealtime insulin also comes with other risks. If you take your mealtime insulin, but are unable to eat, you could become hypoglycemic. Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar levels get too low. This can be very dangerous.

To stop the effects of hypoglycemia, you’ll have to have glucose tabs or another source of carbohydrates on hand. Here are some examples:
1/2 cup of fruit juice
5 small candies, 2 tablespoons of raisins