Few tricky symptoms of high blood sugar

Have you been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or diabetes?

If yes, then you know that diabetes can be called a ‘silent killer’ because it happens slowly, over time. You probably even didn’t notice it until your doctor checked your blood glucose, correct? How could this happen? Well, few reasons that I’m explaining below.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:

High carbohydrates diet – even if you think you avoid added sugars.

I’ve observed that the food industry blends in sugar everywhere (!), therefore the average consumer has a really difficult time to avoid this ‘sweet’ ingredient. To make even more difficult, often sugar is not even labeled as sugar. How smart!

·       Overweight – even if you carry only extra 5-10Lb.

·       So called ‘healthy foods or drinks’ – such as energy drinks, fruit juices or healthy foods with added tons of sugar!

·       Age – the average age is 45+, however some children are victims of this disease. Why adults are not teaching them healthy habits?

·       Family history - diabetes tends to run in family. Why? We eat the same food.

·       Ethnic background – such as African, Native American, Pacific Islander or Asian.

·       Gestational diabetes.

·       High or borderline blood pressure.

·       Low HDL and high triglycerides TG.

Diabetes or pre-diabetes should not to be ignored. Risk of a heart attack, stroke or even cancer, increases with any rise of blood glucose!

Therefore I’d like to warn you, if you already suffer from pre-diabetes, don’t think there isn’t anything to worry about until you develop actual diabetes.

Diabetes has many of early signs, but they are often so weak you may not even notice. Sneaky!

Check these signs, learn and assess if you have some of them:

Lack of energy

Blood sugar fluctuations, up and down, can create a serious lack of energy. Starchy foods and sugar may give you a temporary lift, but over time this can contribute to the body’s inability to process energy from foods you are eating. Lack of energy contributes to sedentary lifestyle, possibly causing weight gain and heart disease.

Hunger

A spike in blood sugar levels tends to be followed by shakiness, hunger or irritability. This often causes cravings for carbs and sugary foods. Many people believe that eating more carbs is the best way to lessen their blood sugar crash. This habit creates a vicious cycle that will raise blood sugar over time.

In fact the best way to stabilize blood sugar is to eat low carbs food, high in proteins and healthy fat.

Thirst and frequent urination 

When the body is unable to lower blood sugar effectively, a higher level than normal of sugar (glucose) circulates in the system. However, your body will help you to decrease glucose by flushing it through urine. Frequent urination will cause thirst.

Irritable, Anxious

Do you consume starchy foods, sugar or pastries? How many times a day?  If you consume these foods few times a day, your blood sugar will fluctuate, ups and downs, and this physiological effect can contribute to anxiety or irritability.

Urinary tract and yeast infections

Elevated levels of sugar in the body will feed yeast, called Candida. Therefore, what you eat and drink can encourage Candida to spread in the system.

Normally Candida lives in a person’s digestive tract and in the vagina. Presence of glucose in the urine feeds bacteria and yeast that can spread in the body. Out of control Candida will weaken the immune system causing frequent infections. Repetitive urinary tract infection should be definitely checked by a medical practitioner.

Fuzzy vision

In early stages of diabetes or pre-diabetes, higher than normal levels of glucose can cause blood to thicken that can build up in the eye vessels, making harder to see. In some cases the blurriness can be resolved once blood sugar is stabilized, but it can take few months to see improvement.

Tingling in hands or feet

Elevated blood sugar levels can cause issues much earlier, before you are diagnosed with diabetes as I said previously. Numbness in your feet or hands can be the effect of mild nerve damage. Because elevated blood glucose damages small peripheral capillaries in the hands and feet, nerve damage results from the lack of blood flow and oxygen. If blood sugar is out of control, the next step would be the loss of sensation in hands or feet, and eventfully even amputation.

Bleeding gums

Higher than normal blood sugar levels can also encourage bacteria to live in the mouth and gums. This bacteria cause swollen and inflamed gums that will bleed when you brush or floss your teeth. 

If the above symptoms are persistent, I recommend that it’s time to check your blood. Your doctor will refer you to check A1C levels (blood sugar levels over three months). In my opinion, you should also request a test for insulin (hormone) level, as insulin starts to rise and stay higher than normal before blood glucose goes up.

What you can do right now?

I suggest diet and lifestyle changes as they can reverse or prevent diabetes type 2. A diet high in vegetables, protein from grass fed animals, poultry, wild fishes and healthy fat usually brings very positive results.

If you have questions regarding your eating, weight or health, please contact me and I will be happy to work with you.

Please also share this article with your family and friends who would enjoy reading it!

To your health,

Maria Pawlicka M.Sc., BAA, CNP