Diabetes is a long-term illness that makes it challenging for the body to create insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, or to respond to it appropriately. Because of this, blood sugar levels might become dangerously high. Often, the initial signs of diabetes are subtle and difficult to detect. A lot of the time, people don’t think these symptoms are serious or connected. But if you don’t pay attention to them, they could cause major health problems in the long run. Diabetes that isn’t addressed can make a person’s life worse and perhaps shorten their life. That’s why it’s so vital to notice and act on early warning symptoms.
Itchy skin is one of the first indications to look for. Excess sugar in the urine pulls water from the skin, your largest organ. This dryness makes you itch all the time, which can be annoying and even painful. Scratching dry skin can also hurt it and make it easier for infections to get in. People with diabetes are more likely to get fungal infections, which can also make this itching and irritation worse.
Acanthosis nigricans is a disorder that causes dark, velvety patches to form on some parts of the skin. The patches are most likely to show up on skin that folds or rubs together, including the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, behind the knees, or on the knuckles. These black patches can happen to healthy people, but they are often linked to insulin resistance and may be an early symptom of prediabetes or diabetes. If you see these changes in your skin, you should talk to a doctor about them.
Another indicator could be feeling hungry all the time, even after eating. This syndrome, called polyphagia, happens when the body can’t turn food into energy because insulin isn’t operating right. The brain makes you feel hungrier since the cells aren’t getting the energy they require. Sadly, consuming more merely makes the problem worse by making your blood sugar even higher. If you suddenly want to eat a lot more yet don’t have a lot of energy, it could be a sign of a bigger problem, like diabetes.
Another common sign of high blood sugar is tingling, numbness, or discomfort in the hands and feet. Diabetic neuropathy is a disorder that can happen when high blood sugar levels damage nerves and slow down blood flow over time. The hands and feet are the farthest from the heart; thus, they are generally the first to be affected. This can make even routine chores uncomfortable, and if not treated, it could cause more significant nerve damage.
Excessive thirst and having to pee a lot are two of the most common indicators of diabetes. The kidneys can’t take back all the additional sugar in the blood, so it ends up in the urine. The body loses fluids while it tries to get rid of the sugar, which might make you dehydrated. As a result, you drink more water, leading to more frequent trips to the bathroom. It’s typical to pee 6 to 7 times a day, but needing to go much more often, especially at night, could be an indication of a problem.
Another common sign is being tired. People with diabetes often feel exhausted all the time, even after getting enough sleep. Cells in the body need glucose to work, but they don’t have enough of it. You can also get fatigued all the time if you have to pee a lot, which could make you dehydrated. Not eating enough, being stressed, or getting older are just a few of the things that can make you fatigued. But it becomes worse when it comes with other symptoms, like losing weight for no reason or always being thirsty.
A lot of individuals don’t know that blurry vision is an early indicator of diabetes. When your blood sugar is high, moving fluids around can change the shape of the lens in your eye. This makes it harder to focus and makes your vision blurry. This symptom usually goes away on its own when blood sugar levels return to normal. But if diabetes isn’t kept in check, eye problems can get worse and eventually cause blindness.
Another important symptom to watch out for is losing weight quickly and for no reason. The body starts to use fat and muscle for energy when it can’t get glucose. If you don’t modify what you eat or how much you move, this could help you lose weight quickly. Frequent urine also causes the body to lose fluids, which might help you lose even more weight. People with type 1 diabetes are more prone to have this happen, although people with type 2 diabetes can also have it happen.
If your wounds take a long time to heal, that’s a big sign that you shouldn’t disregard. High blood sugar might make it difficult for the body to heal itself by making circulation worse and the immune system weaker. If you don’t clean and bandage small cuts and scrapes, especially on your feet, they could take a long time to heal and perhaps get infected. If you don’t take care of your wounds, they could get worse and cause issues like foot ulcers or infections that need to be treated by a doctor.
Keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range will assist with a lot of these problems and lower the chance of getting them. You can manage diabetes well by modifying how you live, taking your medications, and keeping an eye on your health. It’s really vital to see a doctor if you or someone you know has a lot of these indicators. Getting detected and treated early can have a huge impact on your long-term health.