Transform Your Future: Ace the 2026 Certified Diabetes Educator Exam!

Lantus and Levemir are both classified as basal insulin, which is designed to provide a steady level of insulin throughout the day and night. Basal insulin is crucial for maintaining blood glucose levels between meals and overnight, acting as background insulin to help control blood sugar levels continuously. This type of insulin typically has a prolonged action, usually lasting for about 24 hours, allowing for once-daily or twice-daily dosing depending on the specific product and individual patient needs.

Understanding the role of basal insulin is essential for effectively managing diabetes, as it helps to prevent hyperglycemia during fasting periods. In contrast, rapid-acting and short-acting insulins are used primarily to manage blood glucose spikes that occur after meals, while mixed insulin formulations combine both types for flexibility in treatment but do not provide the background coverage that basal insulins do.