High blood sugar is associated with the dreaded disease, diabetes. The disease is often diagnosed long after the telltale symptoms show up. With the kind of unhealthy food and lazy lifestyle that people have got accustomed to, it is no wonder that this disease is affecting people of all ages. It is therefore important to understand what the symptoms associated with the killer disease are.
Drinking a lot of liquid before going to bed may cause trips to the bathroom in the wee hours. But when the blood sugar level is high, it could lead to urinary tract infections that could cause excessive urination in the nights. This condition is also known as Polyuria.
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Feeling excessively thirsty is another classic symptom of high blood sugar. Also known as Polydipsia, this condition is a response to the dehydrating effects of Polyuria. People are misled by the notion that excessive urination is caused by the excessive thirst and brush the symptom away as being normal. To make matters worse, most reach for a soda to quench their thirst, and as sodas contain both sugar and caffeine, while the sugar raises the blood sugar level, even more, higher, the caffeine, a diuretic makes the excessive urination worse. This again causes excessive thirst.
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Contrary to what most people believe, excessive hunger is not caused so much by a high blood sugar as by a low insulin level. This level could either be an absolute shortage of insulin as in Type 1 diabetes, or it could be a relative shortage of insulin, as in Type 2 diabetes.When a person responds by eating, it makes the high blood sugar worse.
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Did you know that despite eating like crazy due to excessive hunger, you will still lose weight? This happens due to three reasons. One, due to loss of fluids caused by the excessive urination leading to low level of body fluids which causes you to weigh less. Two, if the insulin level is too low, your body begins to burn fat to maintain cellular metabolism which is akin to weight loss. Three, the large amount of urine that comes out is rich in glucose which is rich in calories. This carries fat away from the body causing you to lose weight.
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Bacteria is present wherever there is excess glucose. Urinary tract infections and yeast infections occur in both men and women, but they are more common in women that suffer from diabetes as the bacteria present in the urine are two to three times more in such women. Increased levels of glucose reduce blood circulation which leads to reducing the capacity to fight infections.
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High sugar level slows down the healing of skin related infections as neutrophils are vulnerable to it. Another reason is insufficient supply of oxygen due to the high blood glucose. The condition can get fatal.
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Excessive urination can cause dehydration to the point where your skin tissues begin to dry. Added to that is the poor blood circulation. Nerve damage could yet be another reason to give rise to this condition.
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Blurred vision can also be attributed to excessive urination. The drying effect happens all over the body, including the eyes. High blood glucose can lead to retinopathy and can also cause total blindness in the eyes.
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Due to high blood glucose, your body is unable to utilize glucose efficiently. This lowers your physical energy. Lack of sleep can be another issue due to excessive urination in the nights making you feel tired through the day.
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High blood glucose can cause headaches and poor concentration levels. The headaches are often related to various types of nerve damage, like the optic nerve etc.
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Both these conditions can be caused by high sugar levels when they act on different areas of the bowel. Excessive urination can also cause constipation. It is always a good thing to either prevent the disease or at least get it diagnosed at an early stage. Be alert in order to be safe.
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