Diabetes is not a single disorder but a group of metabolic conditions involving abnormally high blood sugar levels or blood glucose over a periodize. About 463 million people, or 8.8% of the world’s adults, have type 2 diabetes as of 2019. Recognizing the signs of diabetes can help you avoid many potential complications.
There agree three main types of diabetes. The first is type 1 diabetes. At this point, the pancreas loses its beta cells and does not produce enough insulin for the body to use. It is an autoimmune disease usually diagnosed during adolescence.
The second is type 2 diabetes. This diabetes occurs due to a lack of exercise and excess body weight, among other metabolic factors. This type of diabetes begins with insulin resistance, where the body does not receive response properly to glucose and insulin. The third type is gestational diabetes, a brief form during pregnancy.
The hormone insulin is used by the body to take glucose from food and supply it to the body’s cells. This hormone will be used as energy. When the body fails to do this properly, many complications can occur.
This is why diabetes, untreated can be very dangerous and even lead to death.
In most cases, it is type 2 diabetes that you would be most concerned about developing throughout your life, as your lifestyle can put you at risk.
Regardless of the type, catching the symptoms of diabetes early can save lives. Thanks to this, you can quickly apply for the necessary treatment.
Many people ignore these seven signs of diabetes:
1. Increased hunger
Even though you have eaten recently, you suddenly feel hungry again. Maybe you feel like you haven’t eaten at all. This is one of the symptoms of diabetes. Especially type 2 is the most dangerous. So listening to your body’s hunger can make your condition worse.
Diabetes makes it difficult to process and digest glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Glucose is a vital source of energy. When your body can’t absorb it, you feel shaky and unsteady.
Your pancreas starts ringing alarm bells. This signals to your body that it needs energy food now, even if you just ate it.
In this case, you probably crave carbohydrate or sugary foods and drinks. But eating these things is no guarantee of help. And the worst thing is that the more you give in to these passions, the more you can tremble.
2. Increased urination
Diabetes reduces the body’s ability to break down food into digestible sugars. This is why sugar stays in your blood for a long time.
The body will expel this excess through urination. Your kidneys have to work hard to get rid of that sugar! As a result of research, it has even been shown that there is a connection between diabetes and incontinence.
Some of the symptoms of diabetes due to increased seizures are as follows:
- You are waking up and using the bathroom every night. You’ve never done it before, or more than once or twice.
- A sudden increase in urination that begins to affect your daily schedule
- More urinary tract infections, or UTIs, even when you take typical precautions to avoid them.
- You will notice a sickly sweet smell in your urine.
- You have a time-consuming feeling that you are so thirsty that you must drink a lot. Then it would help if you tried hard because you drink a lot. Then a sense of thirst again due to overexertion.
- Using the bath more than six to seven times a day
3. Constant fatigue
Fatigue can occur for many different reasons. But when it becomes a chronic, unrelenting problem that plagues your daily life, it may be one of the symptoms of diabetes that you should not ignore. Studies link fatigue to diabetes. This can lead to depression and general low mood.
Diabetes causes your body to be unable to get energy from glucose. So it’s only natural to feel like you don’t have the fuel you need. This can range from being a bit lazy to completely unable to function. You’ll probably feel a little weak like you’re always a little hungry.
Untreated diabetes can also kill tissues in the body, preventing wide, healthy circulation. This makes it harder for oxygenated blood to circulate in the body, so cells must work harder to reach your organs. This exacerbates fatigue and makes your entire system work overtime.
4. Increased thirst
Remember, increased urination is one of the symptoms of diabetes. It is often associated with thirst. This is a clear connection: the more you try, the more thirsty you may become.
Thirst also occurs in diabetes because the brain seeks any fluid that can reduce the rise of sugar in the bloodstream. You use thirst as a cue to your body’s needs. This can even lead to dry mouth. Studies are related to diabetes.
When quenching this thirst, you should turn to plain, carbonated water or add water with lemon or fruit if you need flavor. Avoid such drinks:
- Soda
- Chocolate milk
- Juice
- Delicious yogurt drinks
If your thirst is caused by diabetes, you’ll probably drink these drinks, but it won’t make you feel better or worsen your appetite and other symptoms. That’s because they flood your bloodstream with more sugar than your body can handle!
5. Tingling or Numbness In Extremities
High blood sugar can cause poor circulation in people with untreated type 2 diabetes. As one of the more subtle and hidden symptoms of diabetes, this symptom may not show up in your body for months or even years.
When there is too much glucose in the bloodstream, your nerve endings can be damaged, causing neuropathy. This means that you will experience strange or unusual experiences in your extremities, such as your feet and hands. You may also experience:
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Pain
- Itching
- Strange feelings
Untreated neuropathy can progress to more severe issues, causing distant lesions that struggle to heal and can lead to permanent nerve damage.
6. Weight loss
As a society, we have always normalized weight loss as a positive thing. But this can be one of the more subtle symptoms of diabetes. Weight loss from this disease can be small or extensive and significant. But any unexpected or unexplained weight loss is worth a closer look.
But why does diabetes cause weight loss when left untreated? This happens because you:
- Don’t regain it due to water loss (not actual “body weight”) and trying too often.
- Every time you try, especially if you overdo it, it will scavenge unused nutrients and sugars in the serum.
- Don’t get enough energy from food because you can’t digest sugar or do work. So your body starts burning fat and muscle as a source of energy.
Unexplained weight loss of this type can be challenging in type 2 diabetes. This is because most people at risk of type 2 diabetes are overweight. That’s why small or sensible weight changes feel good.
This is not one of the more dangerous symptoms of diabetes. If you ever find yourself losing weight unexpectedly without making any lifestyle changes, you should see a doctor. You can lose weight even while eating more because of increased hunger from diabetes!
7. Blurred vision
Too much glucose in the blood can damage the blood vessels in the eyes, leading to blurred vision. People who wear glasses may find it difficult to notice this, as it is one of the lesser-known symptoms of diabetes.
Blurring may occur only occasionally and may affect both eyes or only one. If your vision suddenly deteriorates sharply or causes strange, unusual distortions, this is a cause for concern.
Elevated blood sugar can also cause eye fluid changes and movement. The lens can change your shape, causing you to be nearsighted or farsighted. The fluid that moves away from the tissues goes into the body to dilute the blood, hoping to reduce the glucose concentration. Glucose can also build up in the eyes, making it difficult to see.
In severe cases, left untreated, diabetes can eventually lead to serious permanent eye damage, even vision loss, and blindness.
However, if caught and treated early, these problems can be avoided. Your vision will return to normal within two months after your blood sugar stabilizes.
Final thoughts on some diabetes symptoms that many people are unaware of
Diabetes can come with a laundry list of potential complications that can make things worse for you and your life. That is why it is so important to recognize the common symptoms of diabetes.
Especially those that are often overlooked. When you notice the causes of your discomfort, you can get a diagnosis, medical attention, and early treatment, which can help you get your diabetes under control.
Regardless of the type, all untreated diabetes can worsen the risk of stroke, foot problems, eye disease, heart disease, neuropathy, kidney disease, and more.
Depending on the type, you may need to take insulin to use it. Once diagnosed, type 2 diabetes usually requires you to make appropriate lifestyle changes to reduce the severity of its symptoms.
Anyone can develop diabetes, but certain factors can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes: sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, obesity, PCOS, and other diseases. And age can increase the risk of illness. You may be at greater risk if you have a family member with the condition.
If you notice any signs of diabetes, it is best to get checked by a doctor. Blood sugar levels and urine will reveal your health. You may also have prediabetes.
This means that your body is experiencing unusual fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin. This means that you may develop diabetes in the future. Regardless, warning and early testing are critical.
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