Tell me, did you jump out of bed this morning feeling energetic, revitalized and ready to take on the world? Or did you feel really tired as though you needed more sleep?

How often do you wake up feeling fatigued or really tired? This is the most common and strongest sign of type 2 diabetes. Unexplained fatigue ... you know you haven’t been out partying all night, or working harder than usual. Actually you have been going to bed earlier than you used to, hoping you would not feel so worn out when you first woke up or that you would make if through the day without feeling weary. There are many other signs, but this is one of the earliest signs that you have high blood sugar levels. It can go on for years; you start to accept that this is the way your life is going to be. You wish it would go away but it just stays and affects so many areas of your life.

You feel fatigued or really tired because glucose cannot enter the cells that depend on insulin to act as the transporter of sugar, therefore sugar stays in your bloodstream. Once you blood sugars rise above 180 mg/dl (10 mmol/l), sugar begins to spill over into your urine and that leads to several of the short-term complications of diabetes.

One or more of the following diabetic symptoms may be present along with high blood sugar levels, when you are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes:

• frequency of passing urine and thirst
• unusual tiredness at times when you shouldn’t be drowsy or tired
• blurred vision or any change in your eyesight
• frequent infections that are slow to heal. Women often have recurring vaginal yeast infections or thrush
• tingling or numbness in hands and feet
• inflamed gums which are caused by high blood sugars affecting the blood vessels in your mouth. The sugar can also be causing teeth cavities

You may also have type 2 diabetes if your health care provider has diagnosed you with:

• high cholesterol levels
• high blood pressure
• anemia
• cataracts

Another classic sign is weight gain. This occurs because insulin in your body is not being used properly. High blood insulin levels increases your appetite.

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition that starts small and becomes worse over time. In the early stages it can be controlled through a healthy eating plan and exercise. The best way to prevent your pancreas from overworking and breaking down completely, is to check with your health care provider when you have any of the above symptoms. He can order fasting blood sugar levels, and/or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which will confirm or rule out type 2 diabetes.

• a blood sugar level after fasting for eight hours, if over 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/l) on at least two occasions, usually means you have diabetes
• you have diabetes when the OGTT result shows a level equal to or more than 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l)

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• Diabetes - Managing Diabetes Naturally
• How Do You Lose Weight If You Have Been Told You Are Obese and Have Type 2 Diabetes?
• Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Normal - 3 Successful Tips
• Type 2 Diabetes Meal Plan
• Diabetes and Indians

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