Signs of High Blood Sugar: Stop It Before Diabetes Takes Over Page 3

Headaches

We talked about dehydration and cell starvation. Without oxygen, blood, and nutrients, your brain can’t function properly. Headaches occur and you have trouble concentrating, all because starving cells signal that they can’t access glucose in the bloodstream. One thing to consider: your brain devours almost one-quarter of the glucose you consume. And because your brain has difficulty accessing the fuel, your brain function is reduced. You can’t finish tasks like thinking, remembering, staying focused, or reasoning. And the eventual result is constant and painful headaches.

Fatigue

Anytime you feel dehydrated, fatigue and tiredness are normal side effects. Simply put, you can’t create energy. We all need a certain amount of energy to function properly throughout the day. And when you don’t produce enough energy, your body is slowly dying. To make matters worse, due to constant and excessive urination, you can’t sleep properly. The result is even less energy and feeling more tired than ever.

Blurred vision

Another result of excessive urination is blurred vision. Your body tries to dilute the blood by pulling fluids from the cells, a process that occurs mostly through the cells of the eyes. And as the lens in the eyes dry out, they become temporarily warped. The end result is that your eyes lose their ability to focus properly. If you ignore the initial signs, chronic high blood sugar levels can lead to diseases like retinopathy, a damage to the back of the eye that can lead to blindness.

Chronic constipation or diarrhea

Constipation and diarrhea are positioned at opposite sides of the spectrum. But they are both caused by high blood sugar. It all depends on which section of the bowel the sugar affects. For example, when your sugar levels affect the small intestine, you get diarrhea. When the sugar levels affect the large intestine, on the other hand, you get constipation.

Erectile dysfunction

Some statistics show that men over 50 years old are extremely prone to erectile dysfunction. In fact, half of them suffer from the condition. A healthy erection requires healthy nerves and blood flow, as well as the right balance of hormones. Now, without getting too scientific, let’s just say that in order to get an erection, your body has to fulfill a number of hydraulic processes and events. The result is your penis is filled with blood, and you need even more processes to keep the blood trapped inside the penis. All of that is impossible with high blood sugar levels.

Irritability

People with diabetes are known to be irritable (in some ways, like women with PMS). I don’t want to stereotype, but that’s the comparison even women use. The biological reasons for the mood swings are not well documented and understood, although there have been several theories to explain it. But people living with someone with diabetes are well aware of the mood changes and irritability.

What can you do?

All of the signs of high blood sugar have one goal in common: to signal you that you should start making changes in your lifestyle. Ignore the signs at your own peril; in the long run, high blood sugar levels cause permanent damage to your body, and it’s up to you to stop it.

They say the best way to cure a disease is to prevent it. If you notice the signs of high blood sugar, it might be time to make one of the following lifestyle changes:

• Start exercising regularly, two or three times per week.
• Control your carb intake (as I said, chocolate is not the only reason for high blood sugar).
• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated at all times.
• Look for foods with a low glycemic index. Now might be the time to look at labels!
• Increase your fiber intake to promote healthy digestion.
• Last, but not least, control your stress levels. Stress eating is one of the biggest causes of high blood sugar. Previous Page