Most of the food you eat consists of sugar, also called glucose. Glucose is the source of energy your body gets from. The process of converting the glucose to energy may fail because of the chronic disease- Diabetes. So what is Diabetes? Diabetes, sometimes also called “touch of sugar” is a state of your body when it doesn’t produce or can’t use the hormone Insulin the needed way. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that helps to get the glucose from food you eat into your cells. When your body can’t maintain the glucose then it stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. This may lead to serious health issues such as heart disease & stroke, vision loss,kidney disease, etc..
There are three main types of Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant)
Type 1 Diabetes
This happens mainly due to autoimmune disorder when the body attacks your cells by mistake and stops producing Insulin. 5-10% of people who suffer from Diabetes have type 1. You will see the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes very quickly. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. IN case of type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day. Yet the medicine doesn’t know how to prevent Diabetes Type 1, as well as the prevention from the autoimmune disease which is the main reason here.
Type 2 Diabetes
Your body doesn’t use the produced insulin on purpose and the sugar level in your blood is not balanced. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2. It develops during many years and is usually diagnosed in adults. The symptoms of Diabetes type 2 do not develop quickly so it’s important to get your blood sugar tested.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. Usually it disappears after giving birth to your child.
Unfortunately Diabetes has no cure but you can prevent or delay it with healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active.
In order to manage Diabetes you will need to choose the types of Insulin and the methods you are going to deliver it into your body.
Fast-acting insulin
The body absorbs this type into the bloodstream extremely quickly. There are two types, Rapid-acting insulin analogs and Regular human insulin. Usually it takes around 10-30 mins to have an effect on the sugar level but it will last only for 4-8 hours depending on the type.
People use fast-acting insulin to correct hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar and to control blood sugar spikes after eating.
Intermediate-acting insulin
This type affects the sugar level in the blood slower but has a longer-lasting effect. It is most effective at managing blood sugar overnight, as well as between meals. You can choose NHP human insulin which usually takes around 1-2 hours and lasts for 4-6 hours or Pre-mixed insulin which is the mixture of NHP with fast-acting insulin.
Long-acting insulin
It is slow to reach the bloodstream and has a relatively low peak but the effect of it will last during most of the day. Duration ranges from 12 to 24 hours. You will notice the sugar level change in 1.5-2 hours. It is useful overnight, between meals, and during fasts.
manage the Insulin level with the following steps:
- manage ABCs.
take A1C test which shows the average blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol
- stop smoking
- follow the meal plan
- make physical activity part
- take your medicine
- check regularly the blood glucose levels
There are several ways to deliver the insulin into your body. Making this decision you should consider which method is the most comfortable one for you.
Insulin Syringes:
You inject the insulin into your body with a needle. usually it has a cost advantage and you are flexy to choose from different needles and types of insulin. The disadvantage is you need to have a space to do that and keep the right dosing.
Insulin pens:
It is a device that makes injecting insulin easier and more comfortable with the right dosing. It is easy to care with. It is for sure less scary than a syringe, but you can’t mix different types of insulins and is more costly than syringes.
Insulin Pump:
This is a very small device you can wear on your belt or in a pocket.Whenever you eat, you press a button on the pump to give yourself an extra boost of insulin, called a bolus. It’s an option for the people suffering from Diabetes type 1.
Jet Injectors:
This device doesn’t have a needle. Instead, they use very high pressure to push a fine spray of insulin through the pores in your skin.
Inhaled insulin:
You breath the insulin through the device. The drug appears in the blood in 15-20 minutes and can keep it around 2 hours.
Remember that it’s very important to keep control and always visit a doctor. It will never become a problem to love with diabetes if you keep your healthy lifestyle, take the medicine in time and enjoy your life. Stay safe!
