Diabetics have no way of effectively breaking down carbs in their body by themselves. When they inject insulin, they are doing the job of their pancreas to work on those carbohydrates. Depending on the amount and kind of insulin injected, diabetics must watch their overall carb intake. The amount varies by meal and there are charts and guidelines that can tell you how many units of insulin are needed at mealtime.
Meals
Depending on the kind of insulin you use, the guidelines as to when you must take your units varies. When using R insulin, it is suggested that you take 1 to 2 units for every 10 to 15 grams of carbs you will be eating, 30 minutes before eating, to allow the insulin to be effective. The amount of carbs you eat must be calculated based on the amount of insulin you intend to take or your food intake must be tailored to the amount of insulin in your body.
In other words, if you take 10 units, you could eat roughly 100 carbs. That could be a sandwich and a salad with a fruit cup or two small pieces of pizza. The amount of insulin you would take is a process as you should check your blood sugar before and after you eat to see if the amount of insulin you are taking is able to handle the carbs you are putting into your body.
Snacks
Although diabetics take fast acting insulin for meals, they often also take a slower acting variety that stays in the body for roughly 12 hours. In many cases, this insulin will handle any snacks a diabetic has during the day or before bed. If the snack is less than 20 carbs, you may not have to take any supplemental insulin. If the snack is high in carbohydrates, it is best to see what your blood sugar reading is before snacking and take the appropriate amount of insulin for the carbs contained in the snack using the same guidelines used for meals.
At Night
It is also sometimes necessary to have a small snack depending on your blood sugar readings before you go to bed. A 30-carb snack will allow you to maintain a normal blood sugar range while sleeping. If your blood goes too low due to night injections, you may be at risk of hypoglycemia, or substantially low blood sugar, which is remedied by the consumption of quick-acting carbohydrates.
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