Diabetes is a condition that affects millions of people all over the world. Most of us imagine that we know the signs of diabetes. After all, the more dramatic symptoms tend to be pretty obvious and hard to miss.
However, the truth is that a lot of the earlier signs of diabetes tend to be pretty easy to overlook. Of course, overlooking those symptoms can end up causing a whole lot of problems down the line.
With that in mind, here are some of the more silent symptoms of diabetes that you should be aware of.
Frequent peeing
On average, most of us go to the bathroom four to seven times a day or so. If you feel like you’re peeing a whole lot more often than that, it could be a sign that your kidneys are putting in some extra work to get excess sugar out of your blood.
This is especially true if you’re getting up multiple times in the night to pee. Of course, you might just be drinking a lot. However, if you haven’t started drinking any more water and you’re visiting the bathroom more often, it might be worth checking with your doctor.
Extreme hunger
Diabetes makes it hard for your body to regulate your blood sugar. One of the results of that is that your brain ends up getting conflicting messages about how much food you need.
Because of that, you could end up feeling hungry even when you’ve had a big meal. If you’re eating more often during the day, even if you’re eating the same amount, reaching out to organisations like Making Diabetes Easier, could well be a good idea.
Fatigue
If sugar can’t get into your blood cells then you’re not going to be able to benefit from the energy that it gives you. Not only that but your kidneys are going to have to work that much harder to remove the excess sugar from your body which can leave you feeling very weak and tired.
Have you started to feel too tired to do simple things? It could be a sign of diabetes.
Pins and needles
This is one that takes a lot of people by surprise. After all, we all get pins and needles from time to time. However, tingling or numbness in your feet when you wake up could be a sign that the extra sugar in your blood is damaging the nerve endings furthest away from your spinal cord.
One of the most important reasons why being aware of these subtle symptoms of diabetes is that it allows you to catch it early. As with most conditions, finding out about it as early as possible can make a huge difference to your ability to treat it and avoid the worst possible consequences.
Many of us are worried about seeming like a hypochondriac but it’s always better to get minor symptoms checked out before they turn into something more serious than to wait until things get worse.