It is a metabolic disorder in which blood glucose or blood sugar levels are too high.
Blood glucose converts food into energy & insulin, which is a hormone produced by the pancreas that assists in the process of food conversion into energy to the cells.
An individual is called diabetic when this conversion process does not work cohesively to produce the required energy.
This happens when the body is unable to produce enough insulin for the cells to form vitality, does not, at all, produce insulin, or if the body becomes resistant to insulin.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
When one hears the term “Diabetes,” the primary questions they ask are:
What are the symptoms or How do I know I am diabetic or what should I look out for to understand that I have chances of being diabetic?
Whatever the question formatting, the core concern of that individual would be to know and understand the symptoms of diabetes.
Before plunging into the details of diabetes and its symptoms, it’s important to know that the disease is classified into two types – Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.
At times, you feel the day is not like usual; there are some signs, symptoms, and alerts given by the body that make you uncomfortable.
These are usually warning signs/early signs before any disease attacks the body. For type 2 diabetes, you have symptoms that usually go unnoticed.
Some people will not be able to know that they are suffering from the disease until they suffer long-term damage because of it.
But, when it comes to Type 1 diabetes, the symptoms occur quickly, just in a matter of days or weeks, and are usually very severe.
Here are some of the most prominent early signs of diabetes:
- Hunger: You feel energized when the body can transform the food consumed into energy. Being diabetic is the biggest challenge the body’s system will be facing. Irrespective of the food quantity consumed by the diabetic person, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are not producing insulin, not producing enough, or resisting insulin, which in turn is not reaching the cells to activate the human body resulting in hunger. This is the prime reason why diabetic patients are hungry very frequently.
- Fatigue: When the glucose produced by the consumed food is unable to reach the insulin and create energy, the diabetic person will lose vitality and get tired easily.
- Frequent visits to the loo: Do you know the reason why a diabetic person visits the loo frequently compared to an average person? It is observed that an average person goes to pee between four to seven times in 24-hour duration but the diabetic person goes to the loo a lot more. The reason is, that a diabetic person produces glucose in higher quantities and this makes the kidney overwork for removing the excess fluids in the form of urine. This is also the reason why diabetic people tend to be thirsty too.
- Thirsty: Diabetic people are unable to quench their thirst and very frequently feel dehydrated because of the excessive glucose draining from their bodies in the form of urine. This leaves the individual thirsty most of the time.
- Dry mouth: The same reason applies to dry mouth as well. The body does not store extra fluids to moisturize other parts resulting in a dry mouth and itchy skin.
- Itchy skin: Irrespective of the season or your skin type, you feel dryness and itchy skin, the reason being the fluids are used to convert into pee, draining away the vital moisture out of the body.
- Vision issues: Another early sign of being diabetic is a change in your vision. You tend to have blurred sight once you feel the onset of diabetes. This is because; there is a high chance that the fluid levels in the body are making the eye lenses swell changing the vision. There are chances of change in the shape and focus too.
Diabetes is a common condition across the world; it is caused by varied reasons like hereditary, sedentary lifestyle, and more.
Therefore, if any of your family members is suffering from this disease, it is always better to be alert.
Having said that look at a few more of these early signs:
- Cuts, wounds, bruises: If you accidentally tend to cut yourself, hurt, or bruise then observe the time taken to heal the wound. If it is taking more time than usual, then chances are high that you might be diabetic. Diabetic people tend to have high levels of sugar in the blood that harms the blood vessels and nerves slowing the process of blood circulation and in turn the process of healing. Diabetic people are at high risk of infections too.
- Numb hands or feet: The tingling feeling that we experience after sitting for long hours/standing for long hours is different from what a diabetic person experiences. As mentioned in the above point, high blood sugars affect the blood circulation resulting in pain, tingling, or numb sensation either in the hands or feet. If you also go through this kind of state, then it is advised to consult the doctor immediately.
- Skin color changes: If there is a sudden patchy dark skin forming near the neck, armpits, or groin areas of the body, then consider this as one of the early signs of diabetes. Usually, changes in the skin color go unnoticed but if you do find any, get your blood checked.
- Bad breath: Of late, did someone comment on your breath? Has your breath turns out to be fruity, then it is time to visit the doctor, as there are high chances of having diabetes or you are on the borderline of having it.
- Bad odor: The body odor also changes along with the breath. Multiple changes are happening in your body that are at times noticeable and other times not. Body odor is one of those early signs of diabetes that can be a telltale warning sign to start taking care of your body.
Until now, we have concentrated only on the early signs that one has to look for, as these are telltale warning signs for both types of diabetes.
There are symptoms that you must look for after the onset of the disease.
About The Author:
Raj is an enthusiastic writer on health & nutrition topics. He has been working in this industry for more than five years now. Lately, he has started working as a freelance health writer to share the knowledge he has gained over the years. He also writes about fitness, lifestyle & nutrition. Other than his work, he loves playing outdoor sports.
