Diabetes Symptoms

How to know if you are having a diabetes?

Diabetes is a long-term chronic disease that affects how your body processes blood sugar (glucose). There are various forms of diabetes, but Type 1 and 2 are among the most prevalent. Diabetes may cause various symptoms and health complications; therefore it’s essential that anyone suspecting they may have it get tested to confirm the diagnosis.

Here are some common symptoms of diabetes to watch out for:

Increased Thirst and Urination: Diabetics commonly experience increased thirst and urination as their bodies cannot properly use glucose for energy, leading their kidneys to work overtime in flushing it from their system – leading to frequent thirstiness as well as more bathroom visits than normal. This can leave people thirsty all the time as well as needing to go more often to the bathroom.

Fatigue: One of the more prominent symptoms of diabetes is fatigue. If your body cannot use glucose properly, this can leave you feeling exhausted and lackluster energy levels.

Blurred Vision: Elevated blood sugar levels can cause the lenses in your eyes to swell, leading to blurry vision – one of the first telltale signs of diabetes.

Slow Healing Wounds: Diabetes may impair your body’s ability to heal wounds properly, since high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels and nerves and slow down healing time.

Numbness or Tingling in Your Hands or Feet: High blood sugar levels can damage nerves, leading to numbness or tingling in the hands or feet – often an indicator of diabetic neuropathy.

Weight Loss: If you have Type 1 diabetes, an unexplained weight loss could occur as your body cannot use glucose for energy efficiently and begins breaking down fat and muscle for energy instead.

Increased Hunger: People living with Type 2 diabetes may experience increased hunger. This is likely because their bodies can’t properly use glucose, leading to feelings of hunger even after having eaten.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to get tested for diabetes immediately. There are various tests that can help identify it:

Fasting plasma glucose test: This test measures your blood sugar after an 8-hour fast. If your fasting blood sugar level falls between 100 to 125 mg/dL, prediabetes could be present while anything over 126 mg/dL indicates diabetes.

Hemoglobin A1C test: This test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. If your A1C level falls between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent, prediabetes could be present; otherwise, anything above that might indicate diabetes.

Random Blood Sugar Test: This test measures your blood sugar at any point during the day, regardless of when or if you last consumed food. If your level exceeds 200 mg/dL and symptoms suggestive of diabetes are present, this may be evidence that diabetes exists in your system.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is essential that you work together with your healthcare provider in managing it effectively. Here are some tips for doing just that:

Monitor Your Blood Sugar: In order to make sure that your blood sugar remains within a healthy range, regular monitoring of its level will be essential. Your healthcare provider can advise on when and how often this should occur as well as your target range for blood sugar checks.

Follow a Healthy Diet: Nutrition plays an integral part in managing diabetes. You should focus on choosing foods low in sugar and carbohydrates while high in fiber content, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

Exercise Regularly: Physical activity can significantly aid blood sugar control and overall health benefits, so aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity such as walking or cycling each week, such as brisk walking or cycling.

Take Medication as Prescribed: If your healthcare provider prescribes medication to help manage your diabetes, take it exactly as instructed and don’t skip doses or adjust your medications without consulting first with them.

Avoid Stress: Stress can increase blood sugar levels, so it’s essential to find healthy ways to alleviate it, such as meditation, deep breathing or yoga.

Get Regular Check-ups: Seeing your healthcare provider regularly to monitor diabetes and detect any complications is important in keeping it under control and to minimize potential issues.

Quit Smoking: Smoking increases your risk for complications related to diabetes, so if you currently smoke it is essential that you stop.

Additionally, it’s essential that you educate yourself about diabetes and the proper way to manage it. Resources and support services may be found through organizations like the American Diabetes Association or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

If you have a family history of diabetes, are overweight, or have other risk factors for it, it is crucial that you speak to your healthcare provider about getting tested for it early and being treated accordingly in order to prevent or delay complications of the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment will allow for quicker healing times.

REMINDER:

If you are experiencing symptoms of diabetes such as increased thirst and urination, fatigue, blurred vision, slow healing wounds, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, weight loss, increased hunger or increased thirst, it’s essential to get tested for it immediately. There are multiple tests available to diagnose diabetes; once identified it’s important to work closely with healthcare provider in managing it through healthy diet, regular exercise, medication management stress reduction strategies as well as regular check-ups; by taking these steps can prevent or delay complications while helping maintain overall good health.