Type 1 Diabetes Treatments

Insulin, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Diet, and Exercise

Type 1 diabetes treatment is all focused on maintaining your goal blood glucose levels. The various ways of taking care of your type 1 diabetes are all supposed to work together to keep your blood glucose level from going too low (hypoglycemia) or too high (hyperglycemia). By taking insulin, paying attention to what you eat, monitoring your blood glucose levels, and exercising, you will also help prevent long-term complications from diabetes (such as diabetic neuropathy or diabetic retinopathy).

Insulin

Insulin is the mainstay of type 1 diabetes treatment. Because your body doesn’t make insulin, you must give it to your body so that it can effectively use glucose.

There are many types of insulin available, and your diabetes treatment team will work with you to figure out the best insulin plan. Throughout your life, this insulin plan can re-adjust to better fit your needs.

Insulin is injected, although you can use an insulin pump that gives you a continuous stream of insulin. (Talk to your doctor about this type 1 diabetes treatment option.)

If you are injecting insulin, you will, most likely, do several injections a day. Again, your diabetes treatment team will walk you through how to inject insulin and how often you should be using it.

You can learn more about insulin in our article on insulin basics. It explains the different types of insulin and how they work to help you control your blood glucose levels.

Blood Glucose Monitoring

By regularly checking and noting your blood glucose levels, you will know if you are meeting your type 1 diabetes treatment goals—the range your blood glucose levels should be in (as explained to you by your doctor). Blood glucose monitoring helps you and your doctor know if your insulin, diet, and exercise plans are working to adequately control your type 1 diabetes.

Your doctor will give you a blood glucose monitoring schedule, but most people with type 1 diabetes check their blood glucose level at least 4 times a day. You will most likely test before every meal and before bed, but testing your blood glucose 1 to 2 hours after you eat (when your blood glucose level is usually highest) is also a good idea.

You check your blood glucose using a glucose meter, which uses a small drop of blood to gauge how much glucose is in your blood. Continuous glucose meters are also available now, and they eliminate the need to prick yourself multiple times a day to get a sample.

Keep a log of your blood glucose numbers so that you can see how well you’re doing controlling your blood glucose levels.

The log will also enable you to see patterns in what affects your blood glucose levels—for example, you’ll be able to keep track of how various types of exercise affect your glucose levels. You can make activity adjustments based on these patterns.

Eating Well

You’ve probably heard the phrase “diabetic diet,” and we’re here to tell you that there’s no magic way of eating when you have type 1 diabetes.

To work toward your blood glucose goals, it’s good to eat at the same time every day. Also, you’ll need to pay attention to the nutritional information of the food you’re eating. How many carbs? How much fat? This information will help you plan your insulin doses so that your body can process the food you’re eating.

You should consider working with a certified diabetes educator (CDE) or registered dietitian (RD). They can give you tips on meal planning and eating well with type 1 diabetes.

We have plenty of ideas for healthy dishes and meals: Check out our Diabetic Recipes Center.

Exercise

Of course, everyone should exercise to stay healthy, but people with type 1 diabetes get extra benefits from exercising.

Exercise makes it easier to control your blood glucose levels by increasing your insulin sensitivity. That means that exercise makes it easier for your body to use insulin, so after exercising, you don’t need as much insulin to process glucose.

Exercise is also a way to prevent long-term diabetes complications. For example, exercise keeps your heart healthy, so it can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular-related diabetes complications.

However, there are special precautions to take when exercising:

Check your blood glucose level before, during, and after exercise. Because exercise increases your insulin sensitivity, you may become hypoglycemic during exercise, and so you should work to avoid that.
Get your doctor’s approval for any new type of exercise before beginning.
Wear an ID bracelet or something similar that alerts people to the fact that you have type 1 diabetes. Then, should you have a diabetes-related emergency, others are better prepared to help you.
Bring a glucose-rich snack with you. Should your blood glucose level start to drop during exercise, you’ll be able to eat that to counteract hypoglycemia.