Hi there viewers! Are you scared of diabetes?
Currently, about 37 million Americans are troubled by this disease. Diabetes not only
puts an end to eating sweets but also brings along a slew of other disorders. One in every
five diabetics is unaware that they even have it. But the onset of diabetes isn't always hidden.
In today's video, we’ll be discussing early warning signs of type 2 diabetes. Is drinking too
much water a red flag? What about weight loss and itchy skin? We’re discussing all that and more.
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Are you constantly fatigued?
This is quite different from the usual Monday blues. Extreme tiredness can often
be indicative of diabetes. It may show up in your body as muscle weakness, dizziness,
loss of appetite, dehydration, obesity, and hormonal imbalances.
Usually, sleep and a good amount of rest can restore you. But if you are tired even after
sleeping …well then be cautious. This is referred to as diabetes fatigue syndrome.
If you have diabetes, high glucose will keep circulating in your bloodstream.
Glucose is essential for your cells to function and make you feel energetic. Since your tissues
and organs have a tough time absorbing glucose they will constantly get fatigued. Although this
is one school of thought, researchers are still trying to find other reasons for tiredness.
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Do you struggle with dry mouth?
Elevated sugar levels, use of certain medications and autoimmune conditions can give
you a dry mouth. This is called xerostomia. Bad breath, thick saliva, dry tongue, cracked lips,
sore corners of the mouth, altered taste sensation, and difficulty in swallowing
are the hallmarks of a dry mouth. It's uncomfortable and sometimes even painful.
Reduced salivary flow can multiply bacteria in your mouth and increase your chances of developing
cavities. Signs of dry mouth might be hard to pick up on. That’s why you should never miss
your dental check-up as the dentist might screen you properly for this cottonmouth-like disorder.
Chewing on sugar-free gum, using specialized mouthwashes,
toothpastes, and sucking on lozenges can give you temporary relief from dry mouth.
But the most obvious treatment is to drink more water. That brings us to our next point.
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You might feel excessively thirsty.
This is the next tell tale sign of diabetes. This is also called polydipsia. Your kidneys
work as miniature filtration units. They reabsorb all the nutrients that escape previous absorption
processes. When excess glucose is circulating in your blood, your kidneys are overburdened.
They absorb most of the glucose while some of it is thrown out via urine.
But glucose molecules cannot be expelled out on their own.
They need water as a carrier and come with all the moisture from your system.
This can make you feel parched quite often. Make sure that you drink plain water whenever you
feel thirsty. Sugary drinks, tea, coffee soda, and alcohol can make you even more dehydrated.
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Next is frequent urination.
It's only logical that drinking lots of water will fill up your bladder faster and make you visit the
bathroom frequently. This is called polyuria and is a classical sign of diabetes. You may have
to get up to pee multiple times during the night also. That is referred to as nocturnal polyuria.
It's alright to pee a little more when you have had lots of fluid to drink or too much
alcohol just before your bedtime. But passing excess volumes of urine for several days could
mean diabetes. Talk to your doctor about a change in urination habits.
It might get a little uncomfortable but do it anyway because polyuria can be associated
with other deadly diseases like cancer, kidney diseases, and bladder infections.
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The next cardinal sign of diabetes is increased appetite.
It is alright to binge eat once in a while. But have you developed an appetite that is hard to
satiate? Then this increased hunger could be your wake-up call. Overeating during the holidays
or eating a few extra calories to gain weight is different from prolonged excessive eating.
Doctors call it polyphagia. In normal conditions, you would feel
full after eating lots of food. But with diabetes, you may keep feeling hungry.
Your body turns food into glucose with the help of insulin. But in type 2 diabetes your body
is inefficient. The glucose never reaches the cells and that's why they signal your
brain that they need glucose. Your brain then processes this signal and urges you to eat.
This starts a vicious cycle of hyperglycemia or increased blood sugar level.
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Moving along, do you have bleeding gums?
Your mouth is often seen as a mirror of your overall health.
And why not? When diabetes strikes it takes a whack at your oral health. Regular brushing,
mouth washing, and flossing need the help of your body's immunity to keep your mouth bacteria-free.
Too much sugar in your blood reduces your body's ability to fight bacteria in your mouth.
Additionally, the acids from sugars and starches
make an overall conducive atmosphere and a perfect breeding ground for microorganisms.
This can lead to painful swollen gums that easily bleed even while brushing. If ignored
the soft whitish plaque around your teeth can harden to calculus causing periodontitis.
Eventually, it may cause tooth loosening bone loss, and soft tissue destruction in your mouth.
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Is your vision changing?
The blood vessels in your eyes are very tiny. They become leaky during diabetes and leach
out fluids in the retinal tissue. Continued high blood sugar can cause blurring of vision.
It damages the light-sensitive areas in your retina and causes macular edema.
Vision changes can occur in people with Type 1 as well as type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes increases your chances of developing cataracts and glaucoma too.
Most times diabetes-related vision loss can be prevented. But if you are negligent then it may
cause permanent vision impairment. Diminished vision can affect all aspects of life.
That is why you should never delay health matters. Make it a point to undergo routine eye
exams to prevent and effectively manage diabetic retinopathy. It could save your sight. Advanced
testing protocols are making it easy to catch retinal problems before they become dangerous.
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Is it taking forever to heal wounds?
Quite a few things are going on in your body if you have diabetes. High blood sugar levels stop
your immune system from functioning optimally. Diabetes increases the inflammatory responses
and slows down wound healing. It can also narrow your blood vessels and make circulation sluggish.
Glucose obstructs oxygen and nutrients from reaching the actual healing site.
This further delays wound healing. A small
cut or wound on the foot can be serious. It can turn out into a nonhealing ulcer
and if untreated can cause ulceration. So keep monitoring your wounds closely.
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Next, are you experiencing weight loss?
It's alright to drop a few pounds while recovering from a mild illness.
You generally regain them once you're back to normal and eating healthy.
But a major drop in your weight could raise concern. Unexplained weight loss
has been linked as a warning sign of diabetes. The reason why it is called
unexplained is that it is not related to dietary modifications or increased physical activities.
When glucose does not reach your cells it burns fat and muscle rapidly to stay energized.
This is your body's way to compensate for glucose. Weight loss cannot be your
unique symptom of diabetes. It is always accompanied by a couple of other signs.
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Are your fingertips and feet getting a tingling sensation?
Diabetic neuropathy may cause numbness or tingling of your upper and lower limbs. It
leads to decreased touch sensation and reflexes. Diabetics usually describe this sensation as
unbearable pins and needles being pricked in the skin. When diabetes takes a toll on your nerves,
it may cause difficulty in walking, and burning pain. If these symptoms go unnoticed for years
it can only increase the severity and make it difficult to treat neuropathy.
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Have dark patchy skin?
Acanthosis nigricans is dark velvety hyperpigmentation of your skin.
It affects the deeper skin folds like the groin, armpits, and neck region. Diabetes makes the
skin thick and dark. It is often considered a cutaneous marker of insulin resistance.
Even brightening creams will not actually help unless the underlying cause is treated.
This condition is also closely linked to Polycystic ovarian syndrome. So it is very
important to find out the underlying cause of skin darkening to start the treatment accordingly.
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Are you getting frequent skin infections?
Bacterial and fungal infections are pretty common in people with type 2 diabetes.
Since the overall immunity of your body reduces, opportunistic infections are on the rise.
You may experience frequent boils on your skin, folliculitis,
and infection around the nails and corners of the eyelids.
Urinary tract infections are also ramped up. All the glucose passing through the urinary
system increases yeast infections. Increased blood sugar levels can turn up Candida infection in your
mouth as well as the vaginal area. Body parts that are usually moist and warm like the groin,
areas between fingers and toes, and under your breasts are also more susceptible
to developing skin infections. So watch out for these peculiar skin changes too.
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Lastly, get your blood work done.
How long have you been avoiding getting that blood test? It is probably the best indicator
for glucose. It removes all the guesswork and tells you if you are in the safe zone
or dangerous territory. Your HbA1c should be between 5.7 to 6.4%. It's a cumulative glucose
reading of 3 months. Fasting blood glucose levels should be between 100 to 125 mg per deciliter.
Oral glucose tolerance test is another test that checks your body's capacity
for glucose absorption. It should not go beyond 140-199 mg per deciliter.
Being a diabetic can limit your food options. But don't worry.
Bestie is here with a long list of food options. You don't have
to spend another minute thinking about your diet. Want to know more?
Then watch 6 best and 6 worst vegetables for diabetes or 11 best breakfast foods for diabetics.
Go ahead. Click one, or better yet watch both and learn more about which foods you can enjoy
with diabetes. Are you experiencing any symptoms of diabetes? Let us know in the comments below.