Type 2 diabetes symptoms can be hard to spot as, for the vast majority of people, it is a disease that creeps up slowly.
The symptoms may not always be apparent as an illness and for some people, they live with these symptoms for a long period, not knowing that they have developed type 2 diabetes.
The Mayo Clinic lists type 2 diabetes symptoms as follows:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Increased hunger
- Unintended weight loss
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- Frequent infections
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck
It’s important to know the risk factors – does your lifestyle and you current BMI indicate that you are in danger of contracting type 2?
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
- being over 40 years of age;
- having a parent or sibling with diabetes;
- being overweight;
- not getting the recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day;
- having high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.
- High stress levels and a lack of sleep have also been linked to a higher risk.
- As has ethnicity (those from South Asian and Afro- Caribbean ethnic groups are more likely to develop the disease).
Globally, obesity and an inactive lifestyle are two of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes. Did you know that type 2 used to be called adult onset diabetes but when there was a huge increase in children presenting with symptoms, the name was changed to reflect this change.
At Motivation, we’ve a long history of working with clients that are pre-diabetic or have type 2. What we do know is that losing weight and changing lifestyle has an immediate impact. In almost all client cases, the pre-diabetics reverse the symptoms and those with type 2 are able to stop taking medication.
We’ve published a really good eBook – Type 2 Diabetes – Are You Or A Loved One At Risk? – and it’s well worth downloading.
Doing nothing or ignoring the symptoms is not advisable. If you’ve any questions or are concerned, just reach out. We’re here to help.