Diabetes happens when your blood sugar (blood glucose), which is your body’s primary energy source, is too high. There are two types of diabetes:
• Type 1 diabetes means your body doesn’t make enough insulin. Doctors usually diagnose the condition in kids and young adults, but you can get it at any age. You’ll need daily insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes is the most common type, and it means your body doesn’t use insulin the right way. Your chances of getting the disease go up if you are overweight or obese or if other people in your family have diabetes.
What Are the Early Signs of Diabetes?
Both types of diabetes have some of the same telltale warning signs. They include:
Increased hunger. Your body converts the food you eat into glucose, which your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to take in 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 them and you have no energy. This can make you hungrier than usual.
Fatigue and tiredness
A lack of insulin and glucose can also make you more tired than usual.
Peeing more often
The average person usually has to pee about four to seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes may go a lot more. Why? Normally, your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. But when diabetes pushes your blood sugar up, your kidneys may not be able to bring it all back in. This causes the body to make more urine, and that takes fluids. The result: You’ll have to go more often. You might pee out more, too.
Frequent thirst
Because you’re peeing so much, you can get very thirsty.
Dry mouth
Because your body is using fluids to make pee, there’s less moisture for other things. You could get dehydrated, and your mouth may feel dry.
Itchy and dry skin
Your skin could also feel dry, which may start to itch as well.
Blurred vision: Changing fluid levels in your body could cause the lenses in your eyes to swell. They would then change shape and be unable to focus.
Unintentional weight loss
If your body can’t get energy from your food, it will start burning muscle and fat for energy instead. You may lose weight even though you haven’t changed how you eat.
Can diabetes cause headaches?
Headache may be a symptom of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. It happens when your sugar or glucose level drops very low.
