How to Recognize the Early Warning Signs of Diabetes.
Over 387 million people in the world suffer from diabetes worldwide. Unfortunately, only about half of them know they actually have this disease. The other 179 million people (46.3%) go undiagnosed probably until the early signs of diabetes become serious. Sufferers fail to recognize the early signs of sugar diabetes and also fail to seek medical advice early enough. This occurs mainly because the signs and symptoms are overlooked since they are usually mild and may seem harmless especially when the disease is in its initial stages. Other people put up with the first symptoms of diabetes due to their hectic lives that make it difficult to find the time to go for medical treatment. Therefore, the symptoms are ignored and they go untreated as the disease progresses to its dangerous stages.
Have I got Diabetes? What are the Early Signs of Diabetes?
Excessive thirst
The urge to drink unusually large quantities of water and other liquids is an early sign of diabetes that often seems trivial. Excessive thirst is usually caused by increased kidney activity which stimulates the need to drink extra fluid in order to balance the loss.
Increased frequency of urination
The need to urinate more frequently than you normally do is the first sign diabetes sufferers notice. Although it might seem like an inconvenience, this sign should be taken seriously because it might arise when the kidneys have to work overtime as they get rid of the high levels of sugar in the blood.
Unexplained weight loss
Most people are usually glad when they shed weight. However, when weight loss occurs suddenly especially when it is not associated with any deliberate effort to shed the weight, then something might be wrong. It is vital to seek medical attention in case of unexplained weight loss. Diabetics might lose weight despite eating more mainly due to the shortage of energy. Therefore, the human body breaks down lean muscle mass in order to provide the cellular energy it needs.
Extreme hunger
Unusual increase in hunger might be caused by the lack of insulin in your body. The body will give out hunger signals as your energy levels drop primarily because it needs the food to restore normal energy levels.
Feeling unusually fatigued
Fatigue occurs when the insulin in your body is insufficient to absorb sugar into the bloodstream efficiently. Therefore, the sufferer is afflicted by the unusual feelings of tiredness to the drop in the body’s energy levels.
Uncharacteristic irritability and mood swings
Low cellular energy levels in the body might cause irritability and mood swings. The sufferer might feel sluggish and some normal activities might even become a challenge. You might also experience depression alongside the irritability.
Blurred vision
Unusual disturbances to vision such as blurred vision should be investigated immediately. Excessive blood flows into the eye leading to swelling of the eye lenses. It is vital to look out for this early sign of diabetes because it might even cause blindness if left untreated.
Loss of feeling and numbness
Numbness in the feet legs, hand area or arms is one of the early signs of diabetes.
By keeping these warning signs in mind, you will not miss or ignore the first signs of diabetes. It is vital to test the warning signs of diabetes immediately and start making changes to your physical exercise level and diet. This enables you to act quickly and reduce the risk of developing full blown diabetes by keeping the early symptoms of diabetes in check.
So if you find yourself asking Have I got diabetes? then perhaps it’s about time for a full medical checkup. It could just save your life!