Are you aware of the possible symptoms of diabetes that might show up at night? Identifying the signs of this common serious condition can be crucial. We will discuss today the gentle signals of diabetes that regularly show up during the night.
- Frequent Urination
Often, people with diabetes first notice they have to urinate much more than usual. Going to the bathroom a lot at night can keep you awake and may mean you have diabetes. Extra sugar, also called glucose, gathers in your blood when you have diabetes. Kidneys need to put in more effort to process and keep the extra sugar in your body.
If your kidneys can’t handle the glucose, the glucose is excreted out, along with fluid from your tissues, so you have to urinate more.
- Night Sweats
If you experience night sweats, that should also be noticed. If you tend to wake up at night sweaty, it might suggest you have diabetes. Night sweats are often caused by nighttime low blood sugar called nocturnal hypoglycemia.
Adjusting both your medications and meals is necessary when you manage night sweats, but you should do this only under the care of a healthcare expert.
- Hypoglycemia Symptoms
Other symptoms of hypoglycemia include a strong urge to eat, confusion, difficulties with vision and rapid heart rate. They usually occur during sleep, since the body uses the most energy at this time.
It is important to check your blood sugar regularly and eat a well-balanced diet to take care of these symptoms.
- Restless Legs Syndrome
Even though restless legs syndrome is common, many people do not realize how much of a problem it really is. People with this disorder feel an uncontrollable desire to move their legs which is often accompanied by sensations of aches, pains and tickling. The connection between this syndrome and diabetes happens at the nerves.
Persistent high blood sugar in people with diabetes can harm their nerves which leads to a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Nerve damage causes the brain to receive incorrect messages which makes you move your legs uncontrollably.
- Sleep Apnea
If you experience short pauses in your breath while sleeping, it might indicate diabetes. Because of these many brief breathing issues, patients may feel exhausted when they wake the following morning.
A major reason for the connection is obesity. Additional neck fat may keep the throat closed, causing apnea. Rapid changes in metabolism caused by diabetes such as insulin resistance, can cause sleep apnea.
- Increased Thirst
Regularly struggling to sleep because of a dry mouth and an overpowering thirst can indicate that diabetes, also referred to as polydipsia, is present. A rise in blood sugar makes your kidneys work extra hard to clear the extra sugar from your blood. Sugars that are above normal levels are removed with extra fluids from your tissues into the urine, causing you urinate more and get dehydrated, making you thirsty.
To take care of this symptom, regularly checking blood sugar and sticking to a healthy, active lifestyle with help from a medical professional, when the situation calls for it.
- Fatigue
Still feeling exhausted, even after a good night’s sleep, may be a sign of diabetes. Because the body struggles to convert glucose into energy, this is why were feel fatigued. If there is not enough insulin or there is insulin resistance, cells do not take in glucose which leads to feeling constantly tired.
To manage fatigue, you should get regular exercise and eat healthily and make sure to see your healthcare specialist on a regular basis.
- Dry Mouth
Dry mouth, called xerostomia, is another sign that may appear. Since saliva is absent, the condition can make people wake up several times, even when they have drunk enough water. Excess blood sugar may reduce the production of saliva and create dry mouth.
Good oral care, regular water intake and chewing sugar-free gum are useful in handling dry mouth.
- Sleep Disorders
Because of unstable blood sugar, those with diabetes often wake up at night due to hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Sweating and trembling due to hypoglycemia can make you wake at night, while urinating too much from hyperglycemia can hurt your sleep.
Handling these conditions involves using medication, eating a healthy diet and exercising frequently. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a helpful therapy for addressing insomnia.
