{"id":36,"date":"2018-03-19T07:37:32","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T07:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diabetics.guide\/?p=36"},"modified":"2021-08-17T16:47:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T16:47:25","slug":"16-early-signs-of-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diabetics.guide\/16-early-signs-of-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Early Signs of Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Type 2 diabetes is one of the major degenerative diseases in the Western world today. It happens when your body can\u2019t use insulin properly, or can\u2019t make enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone the assists the body\u2019s cells in utilizing glucose. It also helps the body store extra sugar in fat, liver, and muscle cells. If you don\u2019t have insulin, your body can\u2019t use the sugar in the bloodstream.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, your blood sugar levels get too high. High blood sugar can have a deleterious effect on many parts of your body, including heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys. Those who are overweight, don\u2019t exercise enough, or have a history of type 2 diabetes in their family are more likely to get the disease. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes. If you have a history of diabetes in your family, or if you are overweight, stay ahead of the disease by making healthy lifestyle choices and changing your diet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Increased Frequency of Urination<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Frequent urination is an early warning symptom of diabetes. When there is too much glucose in the blood, the kidneys work overtime to flush it out of the blood via urination. So, you\u2019ll find yourself going to bathroom a lot more often than normal. There is also a bigger risk of urinary tractions in both men and women.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals with diabetes<\/a> have two times the likelihood of getting a urinary tract infection compared to individuals without the disease. If you find yourself getting up every couple of hours in the middle of the night, and you seem to be expelling a lot more urine than you used to, talk to your doctor and find out whether or not you have diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased urinary frequency is called polyuria, and individuals with diabetes are unable to regulate blood sugar levels. When too much sugar\u2019s in the bloodstream, more fluids will pass through your kidneys.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

2. Feeling Hungry All the Time<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Polyphagia<\/a>, the medical term for increased appetite, is one of the major signs of diabetes. Feeling hungry is normal, and is usually a response to vigorous exercise, increased activity, or going without a meal. However, feeing hungry all the time is not normal. It can be the result of a serious illness like depression, stress, or even diabetes. In diabetes sufferers, polyphagia is often accompanied polydipsia and polyuria.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polydipsia is increased thirst, and polyuria is excessive urination. Polyphagia can be caused by a number of disorders such as stress, premenstrual syndrome, depression, anxiety, hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, and bulimia. It\u2019s also seen in diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When blood glucose levels are extremely high, such as in diabetes, glucose from the blood can\u2019t get into the cells. You don\u2019t have much energy, so you feel hungry all the time. Just eating isn\u2019t enough, because it will just increase blood sugar levels, which are already high. Polyphagia is sometimes referred to as hyperphagia.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

3. Dry Mouth and Increased Thirst<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the American Diabetes Association, dry mouth is a common symptom of diabetes. It results from medication side effects and high blood sugar levels. Excessive thirst is called polydipsia, and it is one of the classic symptoms of the disease. When you have the condition, too much sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Your kidneys <\/a>have to work hard, and all that excess sugar is expelled through your urine, which takes along fluids from your body.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This leads to more frequent urination, which could leave you feeling dehydrated. If you get dehydrated, you\u2019ll want to drink more water. Then, you\u2019ll urinate even more. It\u2019s a vicious cycle. Increased thirst is a telltale sign of diabetes. It\u2019s one of the main three signs, the other two being increased frequency of urination and increased hunger. If you have all three of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor to find out whether or not you have this debilitating disease.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

4. Fatigue<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tiredness is bad enough, but crushing fatigue is too much to bear. Diabetes sufferers may feel fatigue for a number of reasons, from dehydration to your body\u2019s overall dysfunction. When your body can\u2019t use sugar properly for its energy needs, you feel tired. Fatigue<\/a> is one of the primary symptoms of diabetes, and the fatigue associated with diabetes can disrupt your daily life and interfere with every part of your life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

High blood sugar makes your blood a little like sludge, in that it slows down your circulation, and your cells go without the nutrients and oxygen they need. You could feel groggy, foggy, or even \u201cdrugged\u201d. High blood sugar can also cause fatigue from inflammation. When this occurs, according to medical research, immune cells called monocytes enter into the brain, which causes fatigue.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low testosterone can also cause fatigue, and men with diabetes are a lot more likely to have low testosterone. Another reason diabetes can cause fatigue is that diabetes sufferers often have infections they aren\u2019t aware of, and it takes energy to fight infections.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

5. Blurry Vision<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t rush to the store to get a new pair of glasses if you experience blurred vision. Blurry vision<\/a> is a telltale warning sign of diabetes. Your vision can get blurry because fluid is seeping into your eye. Your eye lens can swell up, and even change its shape. These changes make it difficult for your eyes to focus, so everything can start to look a little fuzzy or blurry.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also have blurry vision when you start your first insulin treatment. This is because of shifting fluids, but it usually goes away after a couple of weeks. For a lot of people, as blood sugar levels become normal, so does their vision. If you\u2019re having blurred vision, you must get your blood sugar level back into the target range. Talk to your doctor to see what your target range is. Blurry vision can also be a symptom of a number of severe eye problems. If you have blurry vision, don\u2019t assume its diabetes. Talk to your doctor to find out what it is.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

6. Yeast Infections<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Women with diabetes have yeast infections<\/a> more than women who don\u2019t. Yeast lives off of sugar, and if your diabetes is out of control, your blood sugar levels can shoot up to dangerously high levels. When sugar is in your bloodstream in high amounts, it can cause the yeast to grow out of control, especially in the vaginal area. Your body could get a yeast infection as a response to this. Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level can reduce your risk of infection.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some types of candidiasis and yeast infections can lead to serious healthy complications if not taken care of. Talk with your doctor about getting on a screening schedule. Yeast lives naturally in all human bodies, but it can grow out of control in diabetes sufferers. Yeast helps keep bacteria at bay, but it can grow out of control and cause itchiness, discomfort, and pain. Women with diabetes should be particularly vigilant to ensure that they don\u2019t get yeast infections.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7. Slow-healing Wounds, Cuts, and Sores<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you get a cut on your thumb, and it doesn\u2019t seem to heal fast enough, it could be a warning that you have diabetes. If you\u2019ve noticed a pattern in life, or over a recent period of time, of slow-healing wounds, cuts, and sores, talk to your doctor and find out whether it could be connected to diabetes. How does this happen, though? High blood sugar<\/a> levels over time can have a negative effect on the nerves (referred to as neuropathy) and cause sub-par blood circulation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes it hard for blood – which is necessary for skin repair – to reach parts of the body affected by blisters, cuts, grazes, scrapes, sores, and wounds. If your wounds stay open and unhealed for several weeks or months, it can lead to bacterial infection, fungal infections, and even gangrene. It\u2019s not something to fool around with. Keeping your blood sugar levels under control is a good way to combat slow wound healing. Wounds that affect the feet can raise the risk of amputation if not treated in time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

8. Unexplained Weight Loss<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unexplained weight loss<\/a> occurs when you lose weight unintentionally and unexpectedly. It can be an early warning sign of diabetes, or a more serious disease. Losing or gaining a couple of pounds here and there is normal, but significant weight loss or weight gain that happens unexpectedly could signal a serious health condition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have diabetes, then your cells have trouble getting glucose into them to use for energy. When this happens, the body will start burning fat and muscle for energy, and that causes you to lose weight unexpectedly. Unexplained weight loss is often an early symptom of type 1 diabetes, but it also occurs in people who are developing type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have unintentional, unexplained weight loss of more than five percent of your body weight, or over ten pounds, in six months or less, then you should consult your doctor. They will be able to determine what has caused your weight loss.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

9. Headaches<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Could diabetes be to blame for your headaches? There are hundreds of causes for headaches, so it can be hard to determine whether or not diabetes is causing your headaches. These diabetes headaches can be the result of low or high blood glucose. Headaches can signal that your blood sugar is outside of your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headaches<\/a> are actually the most common pain complaint in the world, so not many people think its diabetes when they get a headache. Everyone gets headaches. Headaches from diabetes are usually moderate to severe, and they occur pretty often. Getting your blood sugar in its target range is one way to control the headaches.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OTC pain relievers can also help give you relief from diabetic headache pain, as well. The more your blood sugar drops and spikes, the more headaches you\u2019ll have. If you get your blood sugar under control, you\u2019ll have less chance of developing diabetes-related headaches.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

10. Velvety Dark Skin Areas<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People with prediabetes and diabetes can develop acanthosis nigricans,<\/a> which is a common skin pigmentation condition. It can be difficult and troubling to accept the symptom when you see it on your body, but it is something that can happen in people with diabetes. The most obvious sign is a thick, dark patch of skin with a velvety texture.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The affected areas may also be itchy or smell a little. These patches can show up virtually anywhere on the body. The best way to treat this condition is to treat the underlying problem, diabetes. These dark skin patches usually disappear when the underlying condition is treated. The condition is seen in men and women alike. It\u2019s more commonly seen in people who are obese, have dark skin, and have prediabetes or diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

11. A Numb or Tingly Feeling in the Hands or Feet<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all get that numb and tingly feeling in our hands and feet sometimes. It\u2019s usually when we\u2019ve been lying on our arm too long or our foot\u2019s fallen asleep. But it\u2019s important to differentiate that normal numbness and tingly feeling from the kind associated with diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbness<\/a> and tingling associated with diabetes is called diabetic neuropathy, and it\u2019s a kind of nerve pain. You might sense it in your hands, fingers, feet, and toes. It can also come with an aching, burning, sharp pain. The pain might start off as mild, but it can get worse over time, and it can spread up into your arms and legs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the simple act of walking can be extremely painful, and the lightest touch might be too much for you to bear. Almost half of diabetes sufferers will experience some nerve pain at some point. It can make it hard to sleep, reduce your quality of life, and also make you depressed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

12. Poor Vision<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to blurred vision, diabetes can also make your vision worse in general. Eye damage is one of the major complications of diabetes. Diabetes can cause lasting retinal damage, but oftentimes it\u2019s just a temporary, reversible symptom.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have high blood sugar, your blood is thicker, and it will pull in more fluid from the adjacent tissues, like the eye lenses, which hurts the ability to focus. High blood sugar causes your eyes\u2019 lenses to swell. When your eye lens swells, you just can\u2019t see as well. The way to fix the problem is to get your blood sugar in your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diabetes can also cause double vision from low blood sugar. Low blood sugar makes it hard for the brain to focus on what\u2019s in front of it. You could also get retinopathy. It\u2019s when high blood sugar damages the retina<\/a>\u2019s blood vessels, or part of the eye, and it can cause blindness.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

13. Erectile Dysfunction<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Erectile dysfunction<\/a>, sometimes referred to as impotence, a common problem for diabetes sufferers. The good news it that there are prevention strategies and treatment options. Erectile dysfunction is when a man can\u2019t get or maintain an erection hard enough for sex.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It results from harm to the blood vessels and nerves caused by abnormal blood sugar levels over a long period of time. Erectile dysfunction is also seen in men who have diseases associated with diabetes, like heart disease and high blood pressure. Erectile dysfunction is also seen earlier in younger men than in men without diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have diabetes and are struggling already, it doesn\u2019t feel good to have erectile dysfunction, as well. You and your partner might suffer more because of it \u2013 more than the both of you do already do because of your diabetes diagnosis. Some men are reluctant to talk to their doctors about it, but they shouldn\u2019t be. That\u2019s the only way you\u2019re going to get help, and they\u2019ve seen it all.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

14. Itchy Skin Around the Vaginal or Groin Area<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Localized itching is one of the common symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes can take a toll on every part of the body, and that includes the skin. Skin problems are one of the first signs of diabetes. We already talked about Acanthosis Nigricans, but there are so many more. People with diabetes are just more prone to skin conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are more likely to get fungal infections<\/a>, bacterial infections, and have itchy skin. There are also some skin conditions that happen just to people with diabetes. There are diabetic blisters, diabetic dermopathy, digital sclerosis, disseminated granuloma annulare, and eruptive xanthomatosis. You might even experience allergic reactions to the medications you\u2019re taking for diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not many people know that diabetes comes with so many skin-related symptoms, but it does. If you\u2019re experiencing weird skin problems, talk to your doctor. If you\u2019ve never had these skin changes before, it could be a sign of a serious disease like diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

15. Nausea and Vomiting<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nausea<\/a> is something that people with diabetes frequently complain about. It can be short-lived and mild, or it can be serious and life threatening. Blood sugar that is either too low or too high can cause nausea. Severe nausea can also be a symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis. You need swift medical attention, or you could go into a coma or even die.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue or general weakness, confusion, trouble breathing, excessive thirst, and breath that might smell a little fruity. Another gastrointestinal complication is gastroparesis. Another cause is pancreatitis. Both conditions can be controlled with diet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with diabetes have a higher chance of developing gastroparesis and pancreatitis. Artificial sugars and sugar alcohols can also cause nausea. Some people with diabetes turn to sugar substitutes because they can\u2019t consume sugar, but those sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols can cause nausea when taken in excess.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

16. Feeling Sick to Your Stomach, Unsteady, and Weak<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since diabetes is such a complicated disease, and it can affect so many parts of the body, it\u2019s not uncommon to experience dizziness, weakness, a feeling of being sick to your stomach, and unsteadiness. Unsteadiness and dizziness can be caused by low blood sugar, low blood pressure<\/a>, dehydration, and even some medications.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might get a sudden feeling of being sick to your stomach, and then feeling like you\u2019re going to faint. You might have to sit down or rest to avoid fainting or falling. No one likes to feel unsteady and dizzy when they\u2019re out and about. It can be helpful to have a traveling buddy if you\u2019re prone to falling or fainting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can catch you or hold your arm if you\u2019re about to hit the ground, and they can be there to assist you if you fall down. Talk to your doctor about why you\u2019re feeling weak and dizzy if you\u2019re doing everything to keep your blood sugar in your target range.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

<\/div>