Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes may show no symptoms and it is sometimes referred to as a silent killer. Individuals diagnosed with prediabetes are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. During pregnancy, women at risk must be tested for gestational diabetes. Diabetes if left untreated may result in a stroke which is caused due to high blood sugar. The symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are easy to miss. Insulin is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas. When insulin is released into the blood, it helps to digest carbohydrates after a meal. However, in type 2 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas are releasing insufficient insulin and the cells of the body become resistant to insulin, and much of the glucose in the blood stream remains unabsorbed. As the glucose level rises in the blood and reaches above 250 mg/dl, the kidneys fail to reabsorb fluid, thus releasing large amounts of sugar into the bladder. In a diabetic person the blood test will reveal high content of sugar. Release of sugar in the urine causes the use of a lot of water. As a result frequent urination in a diabetic person is associated with high thirst. Fatigue is another sign of Type 2 diabetes. Muscle fatigue is frequent in diabetes. As the muscle cells become resistant to insulin they are not using the glucose from the blood supply. However, this symptom can also be a result of either viral infection of low iron levels in the body. Type 2 diabetes is also associated with blurry vision. Eye lenses lose their ability to focus as fluids are withdrawn from the lenses in the eyes. This is due to high sugar levels in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is associated with high blood pressure. High blood pressure is very common in people with high blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes causes insomnia or very little sleep at night. People may get up in the night frequently for urination. Due to the lack of proper continuous sleep of 6 to 7 hours, people may wake up groggy with an irritable mood. Type 2 diabetes causes sores and cuts to heal very slowly and people become highly prone to infections such as yeast infections. These are top symptoms of Type 2 diabetes. You must get your blood sugar tested, • if anyone in your family or extended family has diabetes, • if you are overweight and have a sedentary lifestyle, • if you are above 45 years of age, • if you have high blood pressure, • if you have high triglycerides, • if you are a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic syndrome and the risk gets increased if you already have the above symptoms. The fasting plasma glucose test is done to check for diabetes. Blood sugar is checked after eight hours of not eating. Normal range of blood sugar is 99 mg/dL, however, if your blood glucose is above 126 mg/dL then you have diabetes. It is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes by adopting a very active lifestyle and changing your food habits. If you rare genetically predisposed then you must watch your lifestyle to avoid the serious complications associated with long-term high blood sugar.