Taking insulin can be daunting, especially administering it before or after you eat. Here are some tips to help you navigate insulin dosing at meal times.

Insulin therapy plays a crucial role in managing your blood sugar and can help you prevent diabetes complications.

You may need to take a single type of insulin or a combination of insulins throughout the day. This depends on many factors, including your eating and exercise routines, and how well you manage blood sugar levels to keep them in range between meals.

Using insulin can be tricky. People may choose to manage their diabetes with insulin injections or by using an insulin pump device.

Here are some do’s and don’ts to pay attention to as you learn how to effectively manage your diabetes with insulin.

Clinical guidelines recommend that you rotate the spots where you inject insulin. This applies to injecting insulin with a syringe, prefilled insulin pen needle, or if you’re using an insulin pump infusion site on the body.

Try not to use the same exact place on your body every time. This is to prevent a condition called lipodystrophy, in which the fat under the skin either breaks down or builds up and forms lumps or indentations that can interfere with insulin absorption.

This can lead to higher blood sugars because the insulin in your body isn’t working as well as it should.

Instead, rotate the sites on your body. The best places for insulin injection or infusion sites are areas with higher fat content, such as:

  • your abdomen
  • the front or side of your thighs
  • your upper buttocks
  • your upper arms

Each site should be at least 2 inches from the previous site. Try not to inject or put an infusion site too close to your belly button, staying at least 2 inches away. You may also want to avoid any moles or scars on your skin.

It can be challenging to remember where you last injected insulin or placed a site.

Some people with diabetes consistently use the same part of the body for certain meals. For example, you might try using a stomach site before breakfast, your thigh before lunch, and the other side of your stomach before dinner.

Clean your skin with cotton dipped in isopropyl alcohol, an alcohol pad, or soap and water before you inject yourself.

Wait 20 seconds for the area to dry before you inject. This helps avoid infections.

You should also wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before you handle any needles.

Monitor your blood sugars

Your insulin treatment involves much more than taking insulin.

Blood sugar checks are a part of your diabetes management each day. Aside from your insulin on board, many other factors can affect your blood sugar levels, including:

  • stress level
  • exercise and physical activity
  • illnesses
  • changes in your eating
  • hormonal changes

These and other factors may affect how much insulin you need and require adjustments, with guidance from your healthcare team.

Write down each measurement or record it in a smartphone app to help discuss with your doctor and care team.

Teaching your friends, colleagues, and family members about insulin and its potential side effects is a good idea.

If you do end up taking too much insulin and having a hypoglycemic episode, they should know how to help.

Insulin is supposed to be injected into the fat layer under the skin using a short needle. This is referred to as a subcutaneous injection.

If you inject the insulin too deep and it enters your muscle, your body may absorb it too quickly. The insulin might not last very long, and the injection could be very painful.

Aside from knowing how much you’re eating and what amount of insulin may be appropriate for that, you’ll also want to keep tabs on your meal or snack times.

Rapid-acting insulins, also known as mealtime insulins, were designed to be taken right before meals to help manage blood sugar more effectively.

As the name suggests, rapid-acting insulin starts to work pretty quickly in the bloodstream. You may experience hypoglycemia or low blood sugar if you wait too long to eat.

Depending on the type of insulin you take, this may range from right before you start eating to 20 or 30 minutes before you start eating.

Understanding mealtime insulin

Work with your doctor to understand how much mealtime insulin you need. This is based on the number of servings of carbohydrates you plan to eat during a meal and your blood sugar before eating.

Over time, you’ll get better at figuring out your carb intake. In the meantime, a dietitian can help you come up with a meal plan that works for you.

Several smartphone apps and internet-based calculators are also available to help you calculate your carb intake and corresponding insulin dosage.

Calculating the right mealtime insulin dose can be complicated at first, especially if you don’t know how many carbohydrates you will be eating at your next meal.

Try not to panic if you realize you took too much or too little insulin.

If you think you’ve taken too much insulin, eat some rapidly absorbed carbs, like juice or glucose tabs. You may also want to contact your healthcare team.

If you’ve taken a lot more than you need, like double or triple the correct dose, you may want to let a friend or family member keep watch in case you need to consume carbs to accommodate the additional insulin. They may need to be aware of emergency care if you go too low.

If you’re at all unsure about the dose, seek advice from your doctor or diabetes care team.

When it comes time to take your next insulin dose, you may be at a higher risk of hypoglycemia. You should monitor your blood glucose levels more than usual for the next 24 hours.

Consult your doctor before insulin changes

Switching your insulin medication or changing the dose without asking a doctor can put you at risk for serious side effects and complications.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you should be seeing your doctor or endocrinologist for a checkup roughly every 3 to 4 months. At your appointment, your doctor can assess your individual insulin needs and give you proper training on new doses or dosing methods.

Injecting insulin is simple, safe, and effective as long as you learn the right techniques and keep a close record of your blood sugar.

If you have questions or concerns, remember your diabetes care team, which includes your doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and diabetes educators. They are there to walk you through the process and answer any questions that arise.