Are you worried about getting type 2 diabetes? Maybe it runs in your family. Or maybe you’ve been experiencing signs of blood sugar imbalance like light-headedness or feeling hangry when you go too long without eating. Or maybe you have strong cravings for sugar.
The prospect of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis is scary to be sure. But, if you’re paying attention, you can catch blood sugar issues before you get anywhere near that point.
Type 2 diabetes doesn’t develop overnight. It’s a gradual build-up that happens over months or even years. And before anyone develops type 2 diabetes, they develop prediabetes.
This is good news for a couple of reasons:
👍 You can catch blood sugar issues long before you get a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
👍 You can REVERSE prediabetes and NEVER end up with type 2 diabetes.
As they say, the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. So let’s go through the top warning signs that prediabetes is progressing.
And remember, even if you find that many of these warning signs apply to you, there is so much you can do to improve your blood sugar balance!
Prediabetes Warning Sign #1: Frequent Urination
No one likes to have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. But this minor inconvenience could also be a message.
Your kidneys serve as filters for your body. And when your blood sugar is high, they’ll work extra hard to filter it out of the blood. Once the kidneys filter out extra blood glucose, it gets expelled in urine. So if you’re using the restroom more often — especially at night — this could be a sign that your blood glucose is high.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #2: Increased Thirst
This warning sign goes hand-in-hand with frequent urination. If your kidneys are having to use water to flush extra blood glucose out of your system, your body will start to dehydrate. And when that happens, you’ll get extra thirsty.
If you notice your thirst levels have increased, this could be a warning sign that your blood sugar levels are getting and staying higher.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #3: Increased Hunger
When you eat, your body converts some parts of the food into glucose and then shuttles it into your cells. Your cells then use the electron transport chain to convert this glucose into usable energy. This is the whole reason we need glucose in our blood in the first place. The problems start when the glucose level in the blood gets too high.
It may seem counterintuitive that high blood sugar would correlate with increased hunger. But when you’re prediabetic you also have to contend with insulin resistance. This means your body has trouble getting the glucose out of your blood and into your cells.
And the more your prediabetes progresses, the higher your insulin resistance becomes. So even if you have high blood glucose, your cells may still be lacking energy. So your body triggers hunger.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #4: Fatigue
When your cells don’t get the fuel they need, you can also feel extra tired. So if you notice that your energy levels are consistently lower than you’re used to, take note. This is one of the most common warning signs that your prediabetes is progressing.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #5: Frequent Infections
Anyone can get an occasional infection. And these infections can be bacterial, fungal, or yeast related. But if your prediabetes is progressing, you may find you get infections more often.
When your urine contains glucose, it can cause urinary tract and yeast infections.
Bacterial infections like styes, boils, hair follicle, nail infections can also crop up more if your blood glucose is consistently high.
Blood sugar imbalance can also make you more susceptible to fungal infections caused by Candida (a type of yeast). These infections show up as itchy, red rashes with tiny blisters. They usually occur in areas where the skin has folds such as under the breasts, around the groin or in the vagina, around the nails or between fingers and toes.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #6: Patches of Dark Skin
Patches of dark skin that form in the creases of the neck, in the armpits, or groin can be a warning sign of high diabetes risk. This condition, called acanthosis nigrican, is caused by excess insulin in the blood. The extra insulin causes the skin to become darker and thicker, sometimes with a soft, velvety texture.
Prediabetes Warning Sign #7: Unintentional Weight Loss
This one may seem counterintuitive as well. Most of us associate type 2 diabetes with being overweight, not losing weight.
But sometimes insulin resistance prevents your cells from getting the energy they need. And that can lead to weight loss — but definitely not healthy weight loss.
What happens is the glucose ends up in your urine instead of your cells. Then you may lose some weight even if you’re eating more.
What do I do if I have these warning signs?
First off, don’t panic. Warning signs are your body’s way of telling you that you need to take action. I know it can be scary. And if you’re like many people, your gut reaction is to want to ignore what you’re seeing and hope it will just somehow fix itself.
The best thing you can do is be honest with yourself about what’s going on. And go see your doctor. Get a check-up so you can see the numbers. This will tell you and your doctor how things are going with your blood sugar management. And even if you get bad news, don’t lose hope.
Prediabetes is manageable and reversible.
You can make diet and lifestyle changes that will really move the needle on your blood sugar management.
There are many areas of health and illness that we can’t directly control. But prediabetes is not one of them. With the right tools, a good practitioner, and a little determination, you can make a difference. If you’re looking for a way to get started learning about how to reverse your prediabetes, I share practical tips to improve your blood sugar balance in my bi-weekly newsletter.
Did you know that a steam sauna can improve blood sugar?
Yes, that’s right! And there are many other ways to improve blood sugar. Addressing prediabetes doesn’t have to be hard. Ready to improve your blood sugar without changing your diet? Sign up for my FREE mini course, 10 Ways to Improve Blood Sugar Without Changing Your Diet. It’s a free email course, and it’s a fast and easy way to learn 10 impactful tips to begin balancing your blood sugar TODAY! Learn more