The lead-up to Christmas can be a stressful time, but it’s still important to be aware of our bodies. There’s one particular symptom it’s crucial to take note of
Symptoms of diabetes can affect both children and adults in different ways.
But because diabetes is likely to get worse if left untreated, and cause long-term health problems, it’s very important to detect it as soon as possible. World Diabetes Day (November 14) is the perfect excuse to take a look at some of the symptoms, which is exactly what nurse and educator Carolyn Byrd has done.
In a recent TikTok, @carolynbyrd05 urged people to “see your doctor” if you were experiencing any of the symptoms. The signs of diabetes are easily missed because they can develop slowly.
Carolyn shared a poster created by the Diabetes Council for symptoms to look out for of hyperglycaemia, also known as high blood sugar, which mainly affects people with diabetes and can be serious if left untreated. The first symptom to look out for is ‘extreme’ thirst, which is also listed by the NHS as being one of the most common symptoms.
Diabetes makes it difficult to control the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood, which can mean your kidneys need to produce more urine to help pass it out of your body. This could make you need the toilet more than usual, because your brain is telling you to drink more to make up for the urine you’ve lost, the NHS warns.
Although the lead-up to Christmas can be a stressful time, it’s important to not shrug off any symptoms you might experience. If you’re finding yourself more thirsty than normal while doing your Christmas shopping, or while making Christmas dinner, it could be a sign of diabetes or something else. That being said, it’s important to note feeling more thirsty than usual doesn’t necessarily mean you have diabetes. But it’s a good indicator that you should speak to your GP, who will carry out a test to see if you have diabetes.
Other symptoms, also shared by the Diabetes Council, include the need to urinate often, dry skin, hunger, blurry vision, drowsiness and slow-healing wounds.
According to the NHS, you should see a GP as soon as possible if you have any of the following symptoms:
- feeling very thirsty
- peeing more frequently than usual, particularly at night
- feeling very tired
- weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
- itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
- blurred vision
