Diabetes is often referred to as the silent killer as the symptoms are very subtle and can easily be mistaken for something else. According to the World Health Organization, over 400 million globally are living with the disease.
By knowing the symptoms of diabetes and being able to make changes early on in the disease you can prevent serious complications like kidney failure or heart disease. Diabetes as a disease is completely manageable with medication and a healthy lifestyle and it does not have to end up preventing you from living your life.
Here are a few of the early symptoms of diabetes.
Frequent urination.
According to WebMD, when you have diabetes your body becomes inefficient at transporting and utilizing any glucose you may be taking in. The end result is that your blood sugar levels are raised. Your body perceives this as a warning sign and it tries to lower your blood sugar levels as fast as possible, therefore flushing the sugar out in your urine.
Increased thirst.
Following on from frequent urination, it is predictable that if you are urinating a lot your body is also losing fluid. Your body then signals to you that it is in need of hydration and you may feel thirsty no matter how much you are drinking.
As you can imagine, this becomes a vicious cycle if you are drinking sweet sodas and fruit juices that are packed with sugar. Your blood sugar levels will be raised and your body will once again try to flush the sugar out, causing the frequent urination and of course causing the thirst. To read more about this and other symptoms head to the American Diabetes Association.
Always hungry, moody and grumpy.
They say that sugar makes you sweet, the problem with diabetes, however, is that your body becomes unable to effectively transport the energy (glucose) from the food you are eating. The energy doesn’t reach your brain and your brain, therefore, doesn’t register that you have been fed. You end up feeling grumpy, moody and endlessly hungry.
Polyphagia or excessive hunger was described as one of the three main symptoms of diabetes to watch for by diabetes UK.
Weight loss without trying.
For most people, this sounds like it is too good to be true. Unfortunately for people with diabetes, it is a sign of your body not functioning as it should. Essentially the food you are eating doesn’t get absorbed effectively and instead the glucose gets flushed out in your urine. Your body thinks that it is starving and ends up utilizing protein from your muscles to make up for the deficit of calories.
The side effect being unexplained, effortless weight loss.
Wounds not healing.
Do you have a sore or a cut that seems like it is just not healing very well? Unfortunately, this could be a symptom of diabetes. When your blood sugar levels are very high your blood vessels can become damaged. As science daily explains, when you have an injury, blood usually rushes to the site to start the healing process but when your blood vessels are damaged this process can be slower than usual.
Diabetes as a disease does not arrive over night. No matter your age or your how healthy you think you are genetics as well as your lifestyle plays a big role in whether or not you will develop diabetes. If you have a family history of the disease it is essential to go for yearly check ups so that the progression of the disease can be stopped or even reversed.
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