How does diabetes affect my body? –
When diabetes is not well controlled, the level of sugar in your blood goes up. High blood sugar can cause damage to many parts of your body, including your eyes, heart, feet, nerves, and kidneys. Diabetes can also cause high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.
How does diabetes affect a person?
Complications – Type 2 diabetes affects many major organs, including your heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Also, factors that increase the risk of diabetes are risk factors for other serious chronic diseases. Managing diabetes and controlling your blood sugar can lower your risk for these complications or coexisting conditions (comorbidities).
Heart and blood vessel disease. Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis). Nerve damage (neuropathy) in limbs. High blood sugar over time can damage or destroy nerves, resulting in tingling, numbness, burning, pain or eventual loss of feeling that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward. Other nerve damage. Damage to nerves of the heart can contribute to irregular heart rhythms. Nerve damage in the digestive system can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. For men, nerve damage may cause erectile dysfunction. Kidney disease. Diabetes may lead to chronic kidney disease or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which may require dialysis or a kidney transplant. Eye damage. Diabetes increases the risk of serious eye diseases, such as cataracts and glaucoma, and may damage the blood vessels of the retina, potentially leading to blindness. Skin conditions. Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections. Slow healing. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections, which may heal poorly. Severe damage might require toe, foot or leg amputation. Hearing impairment. Hearing problems are more common in people with diabetes. Sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is common in people living with type 2 diabetes. Obesity may be the main contributing factor to both conditions. It’s not clear whether treating sleep apnea improves blood sugar control. Dementia. Type 2 diabetes seems to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders that cause dementia. Poor control of blood sugar levels is linked to more-rapid decline in memory and other thinking skills.
How much does diabetes impact your life?
Most people with diabetes live full lives. Diabetes does not have to stand in the way. But, diabetes affects your way of life, such as how you eat and keep fit. It can also affect work and sex.
How does diabetes affect ability to work?
How diabetes affects work productivity – Many individuals report lost productivity at work due to diabetes. For some people, this can include having to miss work, or being unable to work full-time. It can be physically and emotionally difficult to work while experiencing symptoms of high or low blood glucose.
- And stress and pain from diabetes and its complications can add to the burden.
- At dQ&A, we regularly survey thousands of people living with diabetes about their experiences and opinions.
- We recently asked our community members how diabetes affects them at work,
- For example, we asked how many hours they’ve missed from work because of diabetes, and how much diabetes affected their productivity while working.
People living with type 1 diabetes reported a 23% loss in work productivity due to the demands of diabetes (includes work time missed). Those with type 2 diabetes on insulin reported a 19% loss in productivity. Respondents with type 2 diabetes who don’t take insulin said they lost 11% of their work productivity.
We’ve known for a long time that people with diabetes are likely to experience more sick days,” said Richard Wood, CEO of dQ&A. “Our latest research quantifies not only time away from the job, but also the significant lost productivity during work time that’s caused by diabetes.” As employees, lost productivity can be frustrating and disheartening.
But there are many ways employers can help. To start, it’s important to build a workplace culture of respect, understanding, and empathy. Employers can support people with diabetes by providing time and space for appropriate medical care. They can also improve healthcare offerings and provide wellness programs.
What’s it like to be a diabetic?
What are the most common symptoms? – No individual is the same. The symptoms you experience won’t exactly match those of another person. However, the most common diabetes symptoms experienced by many people with diabetes are increased thirst, increased urination, feeling tired and losing weight. To find out more about common diabetes symptoms and what causes them, watch our video.
Does diabetes get worse over time?
Medicines for type 2 diabetes – Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition and usually gets worse over time. Making lifestyle changes, such as adjusting your diet and taking more exercise, may help you control your blood glucose levels at first, but may not be enough in the long term.
Can you work full time with diabetes?
How do people manage diabetes? – Most people can manage their diabetes so it doesn’t affect their work. This takes careful planning and resourcefulness. It can mean taking medication at specific times and checking blood glucose (blood sugars) throughout the day.
For some people with diabetes, this can mean injecting insulin and pricking their finger to check blood sugar levels. Some people can feel awkward about injecting in public and even feel embarrassed. Reassure your colleague that you understand what they’re doing and it’s not a problem. If you manage them, help them find somewhere appropriate to do it, so they don’t feel the need to hide in the toilet.
Some people with diabetes are at risk of something called hypos, when their blood sugars go too low. Ask them what symptoms to look out for and what to do if they ever need help treating a hypo,
Why do diabetics get weak?
Changes in blood sugar levels – Diabetes affects the way the body regulates and uses blood sugar. When a person eats, the body breaks down food into simple sugars, or glucose. Cells use insulin to absorb glucose from the blood and can then use this for energy.
- In people with diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the body does not use insulin effectively.
- This causes excess glucose in the blood.
- Fatigue and weakness may result when the cells do not get enough glucose.
- Diabetes medications, such as insulin or metformin, help more of this sugar to move into the cells and prevent it from building to harmful levels in the blood.
A potential side effect of diabetes medications is low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, Low blood sugar can also cause fatigue, especially in people who have frequent episodes and do not get enough warning that their blood sugar levels are dropping. A person can still feel fatigued even after treatment for low blood sugar.
Can diabetes affect your ability to walk?
Post Views: 6,162 Reading Time: 2 minutes Diabetes can affect your walking ability because the excess blood glucose makes it harder for blood to flow and damages the blood vessels that supply the oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. The nerves or tissues can’t function optimally without adequate blood flow.