There are many types of insulin plans available to help take care of your diabetes. The goal of each insulin plan is to match the way your body used to release insulin before diabetes developed. We do this by combining different types of insulin. Your diabetes team will help find the right insulin plan for you. But no matter which insulin plan you use, understanding how insulin works is necessary for balancing food and exercise in your everyday life. So here's the place to start. Insulin comes in three basic types. Rapid acting, long acting, and intermediate acting. Each type has a different type of onset, when it begins working, peak, when it works the hardest, and duration, how long it lasts in the body. Humalog, Novalog, and Epidra are examples of rapid-acting insulin. Once injected, rapid-acting insulin starts to work within 15 minutes. It works hardest about 30 to 90 minutes after injection. And it's usually out of the body in 3 to 4 hours. Rapid-acting insulin covers the rise in blood sugar that happens after you eat a carbohydrate food. This way, the insulin is working the hardest at the time your carbohydrates are turned into blood sugar. For toddlers with unpredictable eating patterns, rapid-acting insulin can be given after meals. This way you can adjust the dose to fit the amount of food the toddler eats. Dosing after a meal prevents both food struggles and low blood sugars that can happen after an unfinished meal. Rapid-acting insulin is also used to correct a blood sugar that is too high. In general, you only give the correction dose at a mealtime and bedtime and at least 3 to 4 hours apart. Remember to avoid taking a hot shower or bath for 1 to 2 hours after taking a rapid-acting insulin. The warm water can make the insulin absorb faster and can cause a low blood sugar. Lantus and Levomir are examples of long-acting insulin. Once injected, long-acting insulin starts working in about 1 to 2 hours. It then evens off and remains the same for 2 to 24 hours, and it's usually out of the body in 24 hours. Normally, we inject long-acting insulin every 24 hours at the same time each day. This keeps a steady amount of insulin in the body. You should never mix long-acting insulin with any other insulin. Long-acting insulin is given once a day to cover your body's needs when you aren't eating carbohydrates. And rapid-acting insulin is given any time you eat carbohydrates. People on this plan usually take 4 to 6 injections a day. Humulin N and Novalin N are examples of intermediate acting insulin. A protein is added to make this insulin slowly absorb in the body. The protein makes the insulin look cloudy. We often call these two brands of insulin NPH insulin. They take longer to start working, longer to peak, and longer to move out of the body compared to rapid acting insulin. Humulin N and Novalin N begin to work 2-4 hours after injection, work hardest at 4-12 hours, and are usually out of the body in 12-18 hours. When you give this insulin at breakfast, it covers the mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon Then you will need another injection of cloudy insulin at supper to cover a bedtime snack and provide insulin during the night. Intermediate insulin can be mixed with rapid insulin to cover breakfast or the dinner meal. This insulin plan requires three meals and two to three snacks with a set amount of carbohydrates and at scheduled times daily. You give insulin 3 to 4 times a day on this plan. Your insulin plan can change depending on what works best for you and your family. But no matter which insulin you use, always learn the onset, when it begins working, peak, when it works the hardest, and duration, how long it lasts in the body. Because taking care of your diabetes is a lot easier when you know how insulin works.