How Much Do You Know About Insulin?

Your body breaks down certain foods you eat into a sugar called glucose that it uses for energy. Insulin, which is made by your pancreas, helps keep the right amount of glucose in your bloodstream. If you don’t have enough insulin, too much sugar stays in your blood.

If you have type 1 diabetes, you need to take insulin shots to manage your blood sugar. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body makes insulin, but it doesn’t use it well. You might need insulin shots to help your body use glucose, or you could need another medication, like metformin.

If you were just diagnosed, you probably will start with fewer doses. Some people with type 2 diabetes might not need insulin or need only a single shot in the evening.

Diet and exercise are important to control type 2 diabetes, but if you’re under chronic stress, your body could stop using insulin well (called insulin resistance). You also might need to take insulin for a short time if you’re pregnant, have surgery, or have broken bones or cancer. And your pancreas can make less insulin as you get older.

This is true for both type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Your doctor will figure out how much you need based on things like your weight, how active you are, how well your body uses insulin, what you eat, and any other conditions you have.

You can use syringes to give yourself shots, or a pen that has insulin and a needle to inject it. An insulin pump is a small device that gives you insulin through a plastic tube in your skin. The newest option, inhaled insulin, has been available in the United States since 2015.

If this happens with you, don’t start taking less than your recommended dosage without talking to your doctor. Unchecked high blood sugar can cause other health problems like heart disease, nerve and kidney damage, and eye conditions. Instead, eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and try to be active most days.

Regular physical activity can lower your blood glucose and help you take less insulin or other diabetes medication. Ask your doctor about your routine. How intense the activity is and how long you do it can make a big difference in how your body reacts. Test your blood sugar before, during, and after exercise.

Alcohol stops your liver from making glucose. Women with diabetes should have no more than one drink a day and men should have no more than two. Don’t drink on an empty stomach or when your blood sugar is already low. Check your blood sugar before, during, and for the next 24 hours after drinking.

This means you shouldn’t take it more than 15 minutes before you eat. (You take regular insulin 30 to 60 minutes before a meal.) Fast-acting insulin keeps working for 2 to 4 hours. Talk to your doctor about the kind of insulin that’s best for you and when you should take it.

You can choose from a few places to give yourself an insulin shot -- it should be an area with fatty tissue that you can reach easily. The outside part of your buttocks -- where you’d put your wallet -- is a popular spot, but avoid the lower area. And try to do it at least an inch away from the last place you used so you won’t develop scar tissue.