Healthy Insulin Practices

With type 1 diabetes, insulin shots play a critical role in helping diabetics stay happy and healthy. However, for some individuals, the regular injection schedule might not be the best option out there. While the standard diabetic treatment can certainly prolong your life and keep some of the symptoms like nerve damage, sight complications and more at bay, there are other, more effective options out there for controlling blood sugar that could help your body be even healthier.

Diet and Exercise

If you’re diabetic, you already know how crucial it is to keep an eye on what foods you’re consuming throughout the day. Even with insulin shots, especially sugary foods could have some monumental consequences for your body and its faculties. Therefore, you need to keep a strict, intense watch on your diet and ensure you’re eating the right foods. Think of insulin as a type of additive to foods to make balance them with the body’s sugar levels. Like some foods need spices to taste better, insulin is like an additive so that the body can process sugars in foods without glucose levels reaching dangerous heights.

Exercising is another key healthy insulin practice. Alongside the right diet, exercise can help you shed unwanted pounds, which, in some cases, can help to reduce the effects of type 1 diabetes altogether, and promote healthier bodily operation overall. Exercise also helps regulate the body’s internal processes. This is the case for diabetics and those who do not suffer from the disorder. While there are certain practices you should maintain while exercising, including monitoring your insulin levels, exercising is a necessary practice for all people to stay healthy and happy.

Insulin Control

Another healthy insulin practice is administering tightly scheduled insulin control. While this step certainly isn’t for everyone and should be practiced with the close supervision of your doctor, it has been known to produce some excellent results in individuals who maintain a strict practice.

Simply put, this type of insulin control more closely mimics the regular pattern of a healthy body’s insulin production throughout the day. Rather than taking a single shot in the morning or evening, those practicing strict control inject themselves 3 or more times per day in order to maintain a low insulin level between meals, and higher levels directly after eating. Alternatively, you could consider the use of an insulin pump.

In order to make this plan work, you must be willing to take several steps that may seem a bit difficult, such as:

·         Testing your blood sugar levels multiple times throughout the day

·         Modifying your injection schedule

·         Undergo a more strenuous diet and exercise routine

·         Visit your doctor more often

While this method does mean a bit more work on your part overall, it could have some tremendous benefits for your body, such as a reduction of the impact on your vision, the likelihood of nerve damage and a reduced chance of developing kidney disease as a result of your diabetes.

Regardless of how long you’ve had type 1 diabetes, controlling your blood sugar levels is a part of your everyday life. Finding a way to make this process more effective can increase your quality of life and help you make the most of your insulin.