There is an estimated 415 million diabetic adults worldwide, with that number predicted to rise to 642 million by 2040.
Young professionals are not exempt from this. This age group, classified as employed adults in their 20s and 30s, also see a steady increase in the number of diabetics.
But 1 in 3 people with diabetes do not know they have it.
Diabetes often comes with early warning signs. Most, however, would ignore it or do not recognize the symptoms.
With the numbers increasing, it becomes even more vital to listen to your body. Here are a number of symptoms that often go unnoticed:
1. Frequent bathroom breaks
Why it happens: When the body fails to break down sugar properly, the kidneys work over time to expel excess sugar.
Around six to eight times in a 24-hour period is still considered normal. One red flag you should watch out for is when urinating disrupts your nightly sleep.
2. Thirstier
Why it happens: The body’s response to frequent urination.
Urinating a lot would make you thirstier. Often, diabetics resort to sugary beverages like soda or juices to quench their thirst, which would then add more sugar to their bloodstream. Water is always the best way to stay hydrated.
3. Hungrier
Why it happens: Muscles not getting the energy from your food.
Diabetics often feel hungry even after eating. Resistance to insulin stops sugar from breaking down into energy that your muscles need. It then signals the brain that you are starving and that you need more food.
4. Weight loss
Why it happens: Protein in muscles are broken down, leading to muscle deterioration and weight loss.
Eating more does not always mean gaining weight. When the body cannot process sugar and fails to turn it into energy, your body would then turn to your muscles and fat. The body breaks them down, leading to unexpected weight loss.
This symptom is more typical of those with type 1 diabetes. Plenty of people ignore this, however, especially those who want to lose weight.
5. Moody, grumpy, and irritable
Why it happens: The effects of unregulated blood sugar affecting mood.
Excess thirst and hunger, fatigue, and fluctuating weight would naturally make anyone feel irritated. After all, it can disrupt your usually functional self at work.
Lots of diabetics are often short-tempered because of the effects of their abnormal sugar level. Sometimes, it even resembles feelings of depression.
6. Slow-healing wounds
Why it happens: Excess sugar interferes with blood circulation.
Another common sign, cuts that take longer to heal or an injury that still hurts months later can be a sign of diabetes. The extra sugar in the bloodstream, over time, affects a person’s nerves. These arteries and veins are needed for your blood to transport white blood cells that would heal the wounds.
7. Vision change
Why it happens: Glucose build up changes the shape of the eyes.
Often a temporary condition, the presence of excess sugar in the blood can also cause the lenses of your eyes to swell. This can be corrected once your blood sugar normalizes.
Diabetics are, however, more prone to permanent eye damage over time. Diabetic retinopathy, for instance, is the condition where the eyes’ blood vessels are destroyed.
8. Itchy skin
Why it happens: Dehydrated skin.
With frequent urination and the body pulling water from tissues, you also experience fluid loss. This then affects your skin, causing it to be dry and itchy. Rehydrate with lots of water and moisturize your skin.
9. Numbness in extremities
Why it happens: Nerve damage.
That pins-and-needles feeling that occurs due to reduced blood circulation (e.g. when you sit down for a long time) is normal. The feeling would come back when you stretch.
Diabetes-related numbness, however, is different. Most patients describe this as tingling, pain, or numbness in their hands, arms, feet, and legs. In worst cases, this turns into a complete loss of feeling in the extremities—a potential problem for diabetics, especially for unnoticed cuts or wounds that would then not be tended to.
Excess sugar tends to damage one’s nerves. Extremities are affected as blood do not circulate well, especially to parts farthest from the heart.
10. Unusual tiredness
Why it happens: Food and drinks are not processed into energy.
Often, diabetics say they feel unusually lethargic and tired. With your 9 to 5 job, you may chalk this up to overtime work two nights in a row.
However, unusual fatigue can also be a sign of diabetes due to: 1) your muscles not getting enough energy; 2) excess sugar in your bloodstream adds more work to the body to expel it; and 3) sugar crashes and frequent urination at night leads to tiredness.
Pay Attention To The Signs
The mantra “health is wealth” could not be overstated. With young adults often leading sedentary lifestyles, learning to pay more attention to your body is even more vital.
Do not fall into the cycle of putting off doctor visits in lieu of that pending deadline or finishing that project.
If you have risk factors for diabetes—obesity, genetics, sedentary lifestyle—and are experiencing symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor. It is always better to find out while it’s still early and reversible via lifestyle change, rather than when it becomes permanent.
Sources:
http://www.diabetesatlas.org
http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/physical_activity/en/
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/one-third-adults-diabetes-still-dont-know-they-have-it
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(17)30186-9/fulltext
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_professional
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf
https://draxe.com/diabetes-symptoms/ – nerve damage
https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/signs-diabetes/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/diabetes/20-diabetes-symptoms-you-cant-afford-to-ignore/ss-BBzLRim#image=15
https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/type-2-diabetes/7-symptoms-never-ignore-if-you-have-diabetes
http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/health-concerns/could-you-have-diabetes-5-hidden-symptoms-of-diabetes-that-could-mean-youre-suffering-11363943735246
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/type-2-diabetes/type-2-diabetes-symptoms
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/nerve-damage-diabetic-neuropathies
