Lifestyle diseases are on the rise among people. People simply do not have the time to take care of themselves. A stressful lifestyle and unhealthy eating often lead to one or more health problems.
Among the lifestyle diseases, the most common one is diabetes. More and more cases relating to diabetes are reported each day, all around the globe. Diabetes is a lifelong disease which cannot be completely cured. It only has to be managed. Otherwise, high blood sugar levels can lead to other problems such as kidney or heart failure.
Diabetes is caused when our body is not able to turn the sugar in our food to glucose for energy. As a result the sugar levels in the body increase, causing a host of other complications. Our pancreas is responsible for secreting a hormone called insulin which converts the sugar in the blood to glucose.
Diabetes is the condition where either the body is not producing enough insulin for the conversion or the body is not responding to the insulin produced. Spike in blood sugar levels increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, kidney failure, loss of vision and damage to other internal organs.
Diabetes is often classified into two major types - Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in the early stages of life. It is often hereditary. It is basically an auto-immune disease where the body attacks the beta cells which produce the insulin. The immune system continually attacks these cells until the pancreas is unable to produce insulin.
This is the worst form of diabetes. Scientists aren't sure what causes this and there is no cure for it. The person with Type 1 diabetes has to live off insulin injection for life.
Type 2 Diabetes, is often the result of unhealthy lifestyle and weight gain. It starts when the body is not able to produce enough insulin to convert all the sugar in the body to glucose. This is the most common form of diabetes.
The blood sugar can be managed by certain medications to increase the production of glucose. Also, healthy lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 disease altogether and the person can be completely cured of it, but only if it is detected early.
Here are a few symptoms which help you detect Type 2 Diabetes early-
Urinating Frequently-
Diabetics have excess sugar in their bloodstream all the time. The body tries to get rid of this excess sugar in urine and hence diabetics feel the urge to urinate frequently.
Frequent Thirst-
Frequent thirst may be a side effect of urinating frequently. The brain sends you thirst signals to keep up the water levels in your body. Also, the increase in sugar levels in your blood stream makes you feel thirsty.
Fatigue-
It is one of the most common symptoms of diabetes. The high level of glucose in your blood causes your body to slow down as the cells are not getting the oxygen they require.
Blurred Vision-
Blurred vision may be a temporary problem. The high sugar levels in the body cause the lens of our eye to swell, causing disruption in our vision.
Frequent Hunger-
When your blood sugar levels are high, the cells of the body do not get enough oxygen and energy from the food. Therefore, your brain keeps sending you hunger signals trying to fuel the muscles.
Wounds Take Time To Heal-
High glucose levels affect the white blood cells to work well and heal wounds. Therefore, the wounds take a lot of time to heal in diabetics.
Tingling Sensation In Hands And Feet-
People with type 2 diabetes may have a mild form of nerve damage which leads to a certain tingling sensation in the hands and body.
Recurring Infections-
The high glucose levels in the body make it hard to fight off infections. Also, bacteria can flourish on the high glucose levels in the body.
