Symptoms of Diabetes - How to Recognize Early Symptoms What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your body fails to produce insulin or produces insulin, but does not use it properly. Insulin is a naturally produced hormone that converts sugar and starches into energy. The cause of diabetes is not known - but there are factors that are known to contribute to the onset of diabetes. These factors include genetics, obesity, lack of exercise, and other environmental factors. There is no cure for diabetes, but the disease can be managed with a healthy lifestyle and, in some cases, injection of the insulin that your body does not produce. Symptoms of Diabetes Sometimes diabetes may be hard to diagnose because the symptoms themselves are not serious and sometimes are ignored. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes are:

Increased thirst - dehydration caused by your kidneys not being able to filter the amounts of sugar from you blood properly causes you to feel extremely thirsty.

Unexplained weight loss - if your body is not absorbing and using the sugars that you consume and the sugars are leaving your body through more frequent urination, your body is being denied calories that help you to maintain a healthy weight.

Hunger - losing calories through urination when your body does not absorb the sugars that you consume can cause you to constantly feel hungry.

Fatigue - if your body is not using the sugars that you consume properly, your body is not creating the energy that you need. This can lead to a feeling of extreme tiredness and other symptoms that are often associated with flu - sluggishness, overall feeling of weakness, etc.

Blurred vision - high levels of sugar content in your body that is not being turned into energy causes your body to take the necessary fluids from your tissue. Your body will sometimes take fluids from the lenses of your eyes - causing you to be unable to focus clearly and your vision to become blurred.

Tender gums - your body's ability to fight germs is decreased when you have diabetes. This increases the risks of infections in your mouth (one of the main entrances of germs) and can cause your gums to become red, swollen, and tender. The bones in your mouth that hold your teeth are also at a higher risk of infections causing your teeth to become loose. People with diabetes may also experience sores and pus pockets in the gums.

Slow to heal - high levels of sugar in the blood slow your body's natural healing process and you may have sores that take much longer to heal than is normal.

Infections - the decrease in your body's ability to fight germs can cause you to be more prone to infections. Bladder and vaginal infections are a huge concern in women.

Tingling extremities - nerve damage can be caused by the excess of sugar in the blood, resulting in tingling sensations in the hands and feet, loss of sensation in the hands and feet, and sometimes a burning pain in the legs, feet, hands, and arms.

When to Seek Help?

One of the greatest things about your body is the ability to give signals when things are not quite right. Most illnesses are diagnosed using certain medical tests along with comparing the symptoms that you are experiencing. Before treating yourself for any illness or disease, it is important to consult your physician for a proper diagnosis. Treating an illness that you do not have can lead to other, sometimes worse, conditions.

If you are experiencing one or more of the symptoms above, you should visit your physician so that the two of you can determine if you have diabetes. Diabetes is a manageable disease - and you and your physician can devise a course of action so that you can continue to live a normal lifestyle.

As with many diseases, the earlier you begin treatment the higher the chance that the disease can be managed. Even before you begin showing signs of diabetes, you can develop a plan of care for your body's overall health that includes a healthy diet and regular exercise.