Strategies to Make Insulin an Effective Part of Managing Diabetes

8 Ways to Optimize Your Insulin Treatment

Insulin treatment plays an important role in diabetes management for many people. If you take insulin for diabetes, these steps can help you achieve the best results.

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

Beta cells in the pancreas should naturally produce insulin, a hormone necessary for using and storing blood glucose (blood sugar) from digested foods. With type 1 diabetes, those beta cells are destroyed, and to use glucose from food, you need another source of insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is typically still able to make insulin, but the body doesn't respond to it appropriately. Sometimes oral diabetes medication is used to ramp up the body's ability to respond to its own insulin, and that's enough to control diabetes for a while. However, type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and insulin production can change over time, explains Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "Beta cell function in the pancreas can decrease over time, which means that an individual who was controlling blood sugar with other diabetes medications may need to start insulin." Knowing the ins and outs of insulin therapy can have a positive impact on the success of your overall diabetes care. Here's what you need to do.

Monitor Your Blood Sugar Regularly

Blood sugar monitoring is a useful strategy that can help you predict and avoid undesired blood sugar levels. Doing a blood sugar check after you exercise or try a new food can help you understand how similar experiences may affect your blood sugar level in the future and can help determine the insulin dosage you can expect to need. " Monitoring your blood sugar every day is very important and can give you and your doctor valuable information on how your diabetes treatment plan is working," Massey says. "The time of day that you should monitor is somewhat individualized, depending on your treatment plan. Your doctor or diabetes educator should give you direction regarding how many times each day you should monitor your blood sugar." Keep a logbook for recording blood sugar readings and insulin treatments and then, Massey says, "bring both your logbook and glucometer to your appointments so your doctor can review your numbers."

Be Exact With Your Insulin Dosage

The amount of insulin you need for managing your diabetes should depend on a variety of factors — the foods you eat, your level of activity, and the amount of stress you're experiencing, to name a few. Testing with a glucose monitor after administering insulin can help you determine whether you took the correct amount. Your doctor should help you determine your healthy target range. Ranges are individualized based on medical history, age, and other factors.

Take Insulin According to Schedule


"Your doctor or diabetes educator should let you know the appropriate time to take your insulin," Massey says. "There are different types of insulin for diabetes, so it's important to know the exact type and dosage of insulin you take." Insulin types include:

  • Rapid-acting insulin starts working approximately five minutes after injection. It reaches its peak in an hour and is effective for two to four hours.
  • Regular or short-acting insulin reaches the bloodstream about 30 minutes after injection. It peaks two to three hours after injection and lasts for three to six hours.
  • Intermediate-acting insulin typically enters the bloodstream two to four hours after injection. It peaks 4 to 12 hours after injection and is effective for a total of 12 to 18 hours.
  • Long-acting insulin reaches the bloodstream within 6 to 10 hours after injection. It's effective for 20 to 24 hours.

Your insulin treatment dosing schedule should be individualized based on the type of insulin you take, your diet, how active you are, and other factors.

Choose Your Injection Area With Care

Where you inject yourself with insulin has a direct impact on how quickly it enters your bloodstream and starts working. For the fastest entry, inject insulin into a site on the abdomen, avoiding the belly button or any scar tissue. Other injection sites include the upper arms, thighs, and buttocks. To get the best results from your insulin, keep your injections focused in the same general area so that the insulin reaches your bloodstream within the same amount of time with each shot. It's important, however, that you don't use the exact same spot every time. "To avoid developing hard bumps or fat deposits at injection sites, rotate inject sites," Massey says. If you aren't sure how to effectively do this, ask your doctor or diabetes educator for advice.

Be Aware of How Exercise Affects You


According to a study published in the American Journal of Physiology — Endocrinology and Metabolism, as little as one week of vigorous exercise training can positively affect the body's response to insulin in people with type 2 diabetes. "Physical activity lowers blood sugar levels," Massey says. "Exercise is like free medicine. If you're very active or start an exercise routine, this may decrease the amount of insulin you need to take."

To exercise safely:

  • Be sure to talk with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program to make sure you don't have any restrictions.
  • Keep your blood sugar logbook up to date so you can track the effects of exercise on your blood sugar levels.
  • Talk with your doctor before making any changes to your medication or insulin treatment.

Develop Stress-Management Skills

Insulin treatment can't correct one obstacle to diabetes control: stress. "Increased stress levels put the body into 'fight or flight' mode, and then it releases stress hormones, which tend to contribute to elevating blood sugar levels," Massey explains. According to a study published in the Journal of Adult Development, blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes might not be effectively controlled even if medication, diet, and physical activity levels are maintained if stress is great enough. "Learning healthy coping mechanisms for trying to better deal with and manage stress levels is an important part of diabetes management," Massey says. Your exercise will also help relieve stress, but finding what works best for you is the goal.

Stay Hydrated

Make a conscious effort to drink enough water each day. People with diabetes have an increased risk of becoming dehydrated because of the way the body responds when blood sugar levels are high. The kidneys try to get rid of the excess glucose by signaling the need to urinate. Dehydration can trigger a temporary resistance to insulin treatment because blood sugar levels will continue to rise and the kidneys will keep trying to remedy the problem. Not drinking enough fluids can turn serious very quickly and lead to dangerous health complications.

Boost Insulin Treatment With a Healthy Diet

A study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition found a direct correlation between dietary fat and insulin sensitivity, even in people without diabetes. Researchers concluded that to prevent insulin resistance, people need to curb their intake of saturated fat (think butter and cream). Taking insulin may not be enough to compensate for eating very fatty foods. When you do use fat in cooking, choose vegetable-based oils (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats). "Food has a direct impact on blood sugar levels, and dietary choices can impact overall health," Massey notes. "Eating a healthy diet in conjunction with taking prescribed medications and getting enough physical activity is the best plan for managing diabetes and promoting overall good health."
Last Updated: 03/06/2013