#DareToChange: 8 warning signs that your lifestyle has put you at risk of diabetes

Diabetes can be one of the worst lifestyle disorders to have. In fact, it can really affect your overall health, increasing your risk of renal issues, digestion problems, and heart illnesses.

There are two forms of diabetes–type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is basically genetic in nature but type  2 diabetes is the one that stems from wrong lifestyle choices. Here are some lifestyle-related factors that increase your risk of developing diabetes:

1. Eating junk food
2. Not exercising
3. Not going for regular check-ups
4. Not practising portion control
5. Not managing your weight

Yeah, these are extremely common habits most of us are guilty of.

Here are 8 warning signs that your body sends your way to help you realize you need to take care of your blood sugar levels before it’s too late:

1. Thirst

If you feel constantly thirsty, in spite of healthy water intake, you might need to get yourself checked for diabetes. When you have diabetes, your kidneys have to work extra hard to regulate excess glucose. This glucose is released in the urine and, along with it, some very essential minerals also get flushed out of the body which makes you feel dehydrated.

2. Frequent urination

This is actually a cause behind the dehydration. The logic is the same as above. Your body needs to clear out extra glucose from the body. Therefore, you urinate more frequently if you have diabetes.

3. Hunger

When you have diabetes, the body is unable to digest glucose which is needed to release energy. When this excess glucose doesn’t get digested, you won’t feel like you have enough energy and this might lead to hunger.

4. Dry skin

High blood sugar makes your skin tissues more prone to dryness. Hence, you might experience itchiness and may become more prone to skin infections.

5. Tingling feeling in the limbs

Diabetes damages the nerves that send signals from the brain to the limbs. Due to this, you feel numbness and tingling.

6. Slow healing

Diabetes slows down the process of cell regeneration and hence, slows down the process of healing.

7. Sores

This happens due to blood vessel damage which is caused by diabetes.

8. Losing weight

Some people also experience weight loss because insufficient insulin doesn’t let glucose release energy. Hence, the body starts burning existing fat to fuel itself. This leads to weight loss.

Are you at risk? 

There are some people who are prone to developing diabetes. Here are risk factors you need to take into account to assess your risk:

• If you are above 45 and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
• If you are over-weight.
• If you don’t exercise at all. 
• If it runs in your family. 
• If you have a blood pressure problem.
• If you have a cholesterol problem.  

The good news is that you can prevent diabetes by leading a healthy lifestyle which involves eating a balanced diet and working out regularly.

On the occasion of World Health Day, we urge you to bring a change to your lifestyle and be more vigilant of the initial signs of diabetes.