Type 2 diabetes symptoms should never be ignored.
The disease is a serious condition where the body doesn’t have enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. Your glucose levels should be no more than 100 to 125 mg/dL, which equates to an A1C of 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L, according to Best Diabetes Solutions. Anything over this level is hyperglycemia, which is type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is dangerous because the high levels of sugar in the body cause the blood to thicken. The higher the glucose levels, the more complicated it is for the heart to pump the blood through the body, as it takes on a sludge-type consistency. The blood’s altered state makes it more susceptible to clotting or blocking blood vessels, which can cause heart attacks and strokes.
People with diabetes must control their blood sugar levels and monitor them throughout the day. Part of maintaining this condition is knowing the type 2 diabetes symptoms. When blood glucose amounts are excessive within the body, it’s typically easy to identify something is off.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
There are many symptoms of diabetes that you should familiarize yourself with as it can save your life. When glucose levels get too high, you can go into a coma. Do you know when your sugar is elevated? Here are some common signs and symptoms that you should never ignore with hyperglycemia.
1. Frequent Urge to Urinate
Your body is trying to rid your system of excessive sugar, so the only way to do this is through elimination. Urinating frequently or eliminating more during each session is called polyuria by the medical community. Your kidney’s job is to absorb the sugar you’ve eaten and send it back to the body to use as fuel.
However, when diabetes causes this process to be interrupted. The excessive sugar in the body pulls more water, which can cause you to become dehydrated. Frequent urination is one of the expected type 2 diabetes symptoms that many people overlook, but it can lead to kidney failure in time.
2. Vision Problems
If you experience blurry vision or any other visual changes, then it’s a sign that your sugar levels are too high. The high glucose levels pull the fluid towards the eye’s lens, so it causes the vision to falter.
It’s possible to have temporary blindness if your glucose levels are at a severe intensity. However, people with diabetes are at an increased risk for glaucoma as well as diabetic retinopathy. If you notice any ongoing visual changes, it’s essential to seek help immediately.
While you may have fluctuations in your vision with sugar levels, you can develop irreversible conditions that affect your vision.
3. Chronic Fatigue
Would you be surprised to learn that 85 percent of people who suffer from diabetes report chronic fatigue? Fatigue can be considered sleeping more and not having the energy to do the things you normally do. Your energy may be as sluggish as your glucose-laden blood.
According to a study referenced by The Diabetes Counsel, fatigue is a severe issue with this condition. Since your body’s cells aren’t getting the proper nutrients due to sluggish circulation, it can impair your energy levels.
4. Sudden Weight Changes
When you first develop type 2 diabetes, losing your appetite is not uncommon. Not eating as much as you usually do can cause weight loss. This weight loss is expected due to the bodily changes occurring.
A doctor should evaluate any fluctuations in your weight that are more than ten pounds. It can be a sign that your body is struggling to regulate blood sugar levels.
5. Intense Thirst
Most people experience increase thirst when their sugar levels are elevated. The body takes vital hydration from the cells to combat the dangerous state of your system. In addition to losing water in the body, you’re urinating more, which can dehydrate you.
6. Numbing Sensations
Numbness is one of the standard type 2 diabetes symptoms that is hard to ignore. It’s a pins and needles sensation that one of your limbs has gone to sleep. The most common area for these feelings to occur is in the legs and feet. Part of the reason for these sensations is a lack of circulation.
Neuropathy can be annoying and painful. Unlike other causes of this condition, stomping your foot a few times isn’t going to make it go away.
7. Extreme Hunger
Some people can’t eat at all, and others are ravenous with diabetes. It’s one of the type 2 diabetes symptoms that puzzles the medical community. Hunger may come from the body using more resources due to the sluggish blood flow.
This condition is officially called polyphagia, and it means that your body is having trouble turning your food into fuel. The sensations come from your body falsely thinking that more food will give it the energy it needs.
8. Wounds That Do Not Heal
It’s a notorious problem that wounds on people with diabetes don’t heal as quickly as they do with other folks. Sadly, many wounds won’t heal at all, and they require medical intervention.
The problem is that the fluctuating glucose levels aren’t getting the proper nutrients to the wound. Without the healing blood to stimulate and jumpstart the restorative process, wounds can lead to amputations in those with untreated diabetes.
9. Sores on The Feet
Diabetic ulcers often form on the feet. A lack of blood flow causes these sores and painful numbing sensations to develop in the area. This region is prone to tough-to-treat infections, often leading to amputations.
If you notice any sores on your feet, you must treat them immediately. If they don’t heal properly, then get help. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surgeons amputate more than 73,000 limbs in the lower region of the body each year. Sores on the feet are one of the type 2 diabetes symptoms you don’t want to ignore.
10. Lightheadedness
Elevated glucose levels cause you to feel dizzy, shaky, and generally unwell. An issue causes this feeling as the blood is having difficulty getting to your brain as it would normally. The feeling should subside as soon as sugar levels are back within an acceptable range.
If you have an ongoing problem with being lightheaded, then it’s a sign that your sugar levels are not being well controlled.
11. Tingling Skin
When your hydration is affected, it can cause your skin to develop a tingling sensation. This is usually caused by a lack of water in the body. The hallmark sign of dehydration is dry, itching skin, though tingling is often reported too.
Tingling is different than neuropathy, though they may feel similar. Neuropathy can be very painful and unrelenting while tingling sensations will come and go.
12. Fruity Breath
If you notice a strange fruity smell coming from your breath, then it can be a sign that your body is experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis. When your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, it generates high ketones to combat the situation. These ketones are acidic, and your body turns into a war zone.
According to the Mayo Clinic, when your body doesn’t have the proper insulin, it will break down your fat to use as fuel. This is a dangerous situation that requires prompt medical attention. There are test strips where you can monitor your ketone levels to ensure you’re not in danger.
Ketoacidosis shouldn’t be confused with ketosis, a state where the body is burning fat for fuel from dieting. Ketosis is not a life-threatening condition, whereas ketoacidosis is dangerous.
13. Discolored Skin
When insulin resistance is present, it’s not uncommon for you to develop velvet-like patches that are dark and discolored on your body. These spots are usually noticed in the groin, neck, armpits, and knees, though they can occur anywhere there’s a fold in the skin. This signifies that old skin cells are still present, and new skin cells develop overtop of them, rather than shedding.
14. Depression
It’s quite overwhelming to make the jump from everyday life to one that requires constant blood monitoring and an altered diet. According to the National Institute of Health, people with diabetes are two times more likely to develop depression. It’s essential to recognize the signs of this common mental health issue and get help.
Diabetes doesn’t have to be a death sentence. You have the power to reverse type 2 and control it with diet and other lifestyle modifications.
15. Headaches
When your blood sugar levels are too high, it’s not uncommon to have headaches. The high glucose levels create a war zone in the body that can wreak havoc on your whole system. The hostile environment and lack of blood flow to the brain causes headaches along with dizziness and other weird sensations.
Final Thoughts on Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms
If you examine this list, you will see many type 2 diabetes symptoms are severe. While some are annoying, like dizziness, others can be dangerous, like sores on the feet. You can control your diabetes with diet, exercise, and herbal supplements.
Many natural things like lemon water, chia seeds, and cinnamon can help reduce glucose levels when observed with a restrictive diet. The key is to monitor your blood sugar levels and ensure they don’t get too high, leading to complications.
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