Diabetes is a medical condition which is serious in nature but is one which can be maintained by following a few simple rules. Things such as eating healthy, keeping your blood sugar level at a favorable rate and getting a good amount of exercise will all help to keep your diabetes at a manageable level. Another way to maintain your diabetes is by using an insulin pump. The following will describe the benefits of using insulin pumps and why this type of equipment is better than the individual insulin injections.
The Benefits Of Insulin Pumps
The insulin pump is a relatively new technology which allows an individual to have a catheter inserted underneath the skin for the purpose of receiving insulin doses on an as needed basis. Based on a variety of circumstances, the insulin will be activated to ensure that one’s blood sugar level is maintained and level. There are many benefits to having this type of insulin delivering contraption and it is important to review these benefits to determine if an insulin pump is right for you.
The first benefit of an insulin pump is that it allows an individual to forego the insulin shots via a daily needle injection. Since this is an often-cited concern for diabetics, having an alternative to the old version of insulin injections is a nice thing to consider. Due to the fact that the insulin pump consists of a catheter already under the skin, the diabetic individual does not have to mess around with a single injection whenever they need some insulin.
Another benefit of using an insulin pump relates to the accuracy of the pump. The insulin pumps tend to be much more accurate than individual insulin injections. The insulin directed by a pump will always go to the right spot as opposed to individual injections which may not be accurate every single time one injects themselves with the insulin. Accuracy is crucial as it ensures that the individual is getting the right spot each and every time they need their insulin.
Insulin pumps are also known to keep the blood sugar level closer to the recommend rate than the individual insulin shots. Since insulin shots are not administered at the same time every time and it may take a while for the shot to be administered, the gap between the desired blood sugar level and the actual level is greater than with an insulin pump. By using an insulin pump, the administration is done on a timely basis each and every time it is needed.
This type of insulin administration allows diabetic individuals to achieve a greater quality of life overall. No longer will they have to be close to a refrigerator in order to get to their insulin and diabetics who use insulin pumps can spend their day as they please with their insulin right by their side. In addition, the insulin pump tends to anticipate when a dose is needed and it is done before it is too late and the individual is at risk for insulin shock. The improvement in one’s quality of life can definitely be felt when using an insulin pump for their dosage needs.
Lastly, insulin pumps often take away the need for large quantities of carbohydrates prior to engaging in exercise of any type. With the old way of insulin injections, one would have to eat a great amount of carbs prior to hitting the basketball court or going for a run as one’s blood sugar level is at a higher risk for getting off target after exercise. In the past, one would have to have a meal complete with carbohydrates in order to keep the blood sugar level at a good rate. Today, insulin pumps allow the individual to exercise without having to eat the large amounts of carbohydrates as the pump will compensate for any gap in the blood sugar level which occurs. Again, insulin pumps offer a freedom which was not present with the individual insulin injections.