What are the early symptoms of diabetes?

Also read: Everything you need to know about diabetes

What symptoms may indicate diabetes?

Both types of diabetes have some of the same warning signs.

• Hunger and tiredness. Your body converts the food you eat into glucose that your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to absorb glucose. If your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can’t get into your cells and you have no energy. This can make you hungrier and more tired than normal.
• Urinating more often and feeling thirstier. The average person urinates between four and seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes urinate much more often. Normally, your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. However, when diabetes causes blood sugar levels to spike, your kidneys are unable to reabsorb it all. This causes your body to produce more urine, which costs fluid. As a result, you have to urinate more. Because you are urinating so much, you may feel thirstier.
• Frequent urinary tract infections or yeast infections. Too much glucose in your blood can also cause glucose to enter your urine. Glucose in the urinary tract and genital area can lead to infections, such as urinary tract infections or yeast infections.
• Dry mouth and itchy skin. Because your body uses fluids to urinate, there is less fluid for other things. You can become dehydrated and your mouth can feel dry. Dry skin can become itchy.
• Blurred vision. The changing moisture levels in your body can cause the lenses in your eyes to swell. They change shape and can no longer focus.
• Slowly healing wounds. This is the result of poor blood circulation, a weakened immune system and inflammation, which is typical of diabetes.
• Unexplained weight loss. Due to a lack of insulin in the body, glucose cannot enter the cells where it is used for energy. When glucose is not available as an energy source, the body uses fat and muscle for energy, often leading to weight loss.

Also read: Six golden tips to prevent diabetes

Can you reverse early symptoms?

• Losing weight, even 5 to 7 percent of your body weight, can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Being physically active increases your insulin sensitivity and improves blood glucose levels. To achieve this, you need to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (e.g. walking) per week.
• Make healthier food choices. Try to eat less sugar and add more vegetables to your diet. This can have a direct effect on blood glucose levels, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Learn to deal with stress. This will help you lower stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which raise blood sugar levels.

Also read: Prediabetes: symptoms and how to reverse it?

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