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Basal

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J

James B

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
How essential is it you take the basal insulin at the same time everyday for example I kinda feel like sleeping in tomorrow and usually take my basal at 08:10 for work starting at 09:00 so if I say sleep in till 12:00 will it affect my BG dramatically throughout the day?
 
Well I think it completely depends on which basal your taking, if it's a longer acting like Tresiba then there is wiggle room in when it can be administered but if your split doses of something you may well notice a difference in readings for a while xx
 
When I attended a DAFNE course I was told “ rise and retire” as long as there’s at least 7 hours between. I’m not a slave to my basal needs, the diabetes fits around me, not the other way round. Have that lie in!
 
At diagnosis I was told to take it in the morning but at roughly the same time each day.

When I switched to Levemir and split to morning and evening I was advised that these should be at the same time each day and 12 hours apart.
 
I was self taught on Levemir (long story) but because I'd basal tested numerous times by then, and had been able to discuss it with a 'community' diabetes nurse I already knew that it wouldn't necessarily be 50/50 with a 12 hour split in the finish. Certainly wasn't either - landed up 14u on rising and another 4u approx 9.30 to 10pm at night. I assumed from that, that this must mean I needed very little overnight. I don't as it turned out once i went on a pump - late at night, say 10pm till about 2am I need more than I do all day and the rest of the night.

I often laugh these days - how the HECK have I survived so well - in comparative ignorance - all these years?
 
James B said:
How essential is it you take the basal insulin at the same time everyday for example I kinda feel like sleeping in tomorrow and usually take my basal at 08:10 for work starting at 09:00 so if I say sleep in till 12:00 will it affect my BG dramatically throughout the day?
Click to expand...

I think as a one-off it won’t do much harm, but if may cause a bit of BG upheaval depending on your basal insulin.

Could you put your pen by your bed and jab if you happen to wake up and need a wee mid lie-in?
 
I think 4 hours difference with something like Levemir may make a detectable difference but with the likes of Tresiba, probably not much problem. I would probably be inclined to set my alarm, jab myself and go back to sleep, but then I sleep relatively easily. As others say, as a one off, it is probably not going to cause much of a problem but a small correction may be needed with your bolus insulin when you do get up.
@SB2015 I don't take my Levemir 12 hours apart nor do I split it 50/50. I take 16 units when I get up.... usually between 7 and 8am along with my breakfast bolus and 7 or 8 at bedtime which is usually 11-12pm. That seems to balance me up pretty well and is convenient in that I can adjust the final dose according to my bedtime reading, my activity and what I ate for dinner which might need some extra basal if it was a high fat/protein meal. I do love that flexibility with Levemir and it seems odd that people have been told that it needs to be more rigidly administered.
 
rebrascora said:
I think 4 hours difference with something like Levemir may make a detectable difference but with the likes of Tresiba, probably not much problem. I would probably be inclined to set my alarm, jab myself and go back to sleep, but then I sleep relatively easily. As others say, as a one off, it is probably not going to cause much of a problem but a small correction may be needed with your bolus insulin when you do get up.
@SB2015 I don't take my Levemir 12 hours apart nor do I split it 50/50. I take 16 units when I get up.... usually between 7 and 8am along with my breakfast bolus and 7 or 8 at bedtime which is usually 11-12pm. That seems to balance me up pretty well and is convenient in that I can adjust the final dose according to my bedtime reading, my activity and what I ate for dinner which might need some extra basal if it was a high fat/protein meal. I do love that flexibility with Levemir and it seems odd that people have been told that it needs to be more rigidly administered.
Click to expand...

It amazes me how the advice we are given is so different. That is why it is good to be on here and hear what others do. At the start my DSN told me to inject after my meals. Even when I was asking about how to reduce spikes she never suggested pre-bolusing. I only got that idea from people on here. What a difference that made.

I was only on Levemir briefly as a precursor to going onto the pump. My split was also not 50/50 and I think keeping to fixed times helped as I sorted out the appropriate split. I think that they felt that would give them a better idea of an appropriate hourly basal rate to use at the start.
 
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