Kirsten Cumming

Some meals contain small amounts of carbohydrate and require less insulin, whilst other meals contain larger amounts of carbohydrate and therefore require more insulin.

Remember you take 2 types of insulin:

• The long acting insulin, which you take once or twice a day, works for up to 24 hours and is called the basal insulin (also known as your background insulin).

• The fast acting insulin, which you take with food, is called the bolus insulin. This is the insulin that you adjust to correct your blood glucose level and match the amount of carbohydrate in your food and drink.

• SEREN ACTIVE Information for coaches and teachers

• Sport Wales (www.sports.wales)

• Adult members of the family can refer to National Exercise on Referral Programme

• Local sport clubs

At the end of this section you will:

• Understand what Type 1 diabetes is

• Understand what happens in a person who does not have Type 1 diabetes

• Understand how insulin works

• Recognise the signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes

• Understand the checks carried out at diagnosis

There are three different types of hypos. 

Mild: This is when the blood glucose falls below 4mmol/l and is easily corrected. It is important not to ignore mild hypo symptoms and to take action straight away.

Moderate: This is when the blood glucose falls below 3mmol/l. You may require help from someone else as your brain will struggle to make the right choices when your blood glucose level is very low.

Severe: If you have a severe hypo you will not be aware of it and you will require help from your family. Severe hypos are extremely rare and your family will be taught how to manage them.

If you have a severe hypo you will not be aware of it and you will require help from your family. Severe hypos are extremely rare and your family will be taught how to manage them.

This is when the blood glucose falls below 3mmol/l. You may require help from someone else as your brain will struggle to make the right choices when your blood glucose level is very low.

This is when the blood glucose falls below 4mmol/l and is easily corrected. It is important not to ignore mild hypo symptoms and to take action straight away.

If you break down the word hypoglycaemia, you can see what it means:
Hypo = “low” Glyc = “glucose” Aemia = “blood”

So rearranging these words gives “low blood glucose”

• Builds confidence and social skills
• Develops co-ordination
• Helps to maintain a healthy weight
• Strengthens bones and muscles
• Improves sleep
• Improves concentration and learning
• Improves health and fitness
• Makes you feel good
• Helps the body use insulin more efficiently

(reference UK Chief Medical Officer’s Physical Activity Guidance)

You may now have realised that injecting insulin will be a routine part of your life. Living with a fear of needles can make living with diabetes really tricky.

If you find giving your insulin injection a struggle your team can help and may offer suggestions or injection aids.

They can give you a self-help book written by a clinical psychologist called ‘Talking Type 1…Not OK with needles?’.

Traditionally it was recommended to give fast acting insulin 15 to 20 minutes before food. However, the newer ultra fast acting insulins can be given just before food.

• Fast acting (bolus) insulin (e.g. Novorapid/ Humalog) should be taken 15-20 minutes before food

• Newer ultra fast insulin (e.g. Fiasp) can be taken just before food

• Delaying your bolus insulin can result in a glucose spike (see graph above)

The fast acting insulin, which you take with food, is called the bolus insulin

The long acting insulin, which you take once or twice a day, works for up to 24 hours and is called the basal insulin (also known as your background insulin)

At the end of this section you will:

• Understand how to carry out a blood glucose check and why it is important

• Recognise the different times when it can be useful to check blood glucose

• Be aware of the different blood glucose targets for different times of the day

• Understand how to perform a blood ketone check

• Understand what the ‘honeymoon period’ is

• Recognise that there are alternative ways of measuring glucose

• Understand what HbA1c is and the target value

At the end of this section you will:

• Understand the types of insulin: basal and bolus

• Understand how to calculate starting insulin dose

• Understand how to correct a high blood glucose

• Understand how to give an insulin injection

• Understand where insulin can be injected

• Understand why it is important to rotate injection sites