Symptoms Of Diabetes And Tips On Losing Weight
According to the Centers of Disease Control there are all ready 20.8 million Americans who have diabetes. What is even more alarming than this number is the fact that about one third of the people with Diabetes don not even know they have Diabetes? Why? Many times it goes undetected because its symptoms seem harmless. Yet, early detection of diabetes can be the key in getting the disease under control before one develops complications and long term damages.
It is crucial that everyone is aware of the symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease that results in the body's inability to produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is needed to convert blood sugar for energy. There are two major types of Diabetes Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 usually appears in children and young adults. It used to be referred to as juvenile diabetes. Type 2 is the most common.
Here are the most common silent symptoms that one may have that could indicate that one could have the onset of diabetes.
1. Always feeling tired or drowsy
2. Being more irritable or moody than usual
3. Frequent urination
4. Sudden, unexplained weight loss
5. Feeling thirsty and or hungry more than usual
6. Tingling or numbness in legs, feet or fingers
7. Mouth feeling dry most of the time
8. Slow healing sores, cuts or bruises
9. Family history of diabetes.
If you have a few of these symptoms, you should discuss the idea of getting tested for diabetes with your doctor. The test is done by a simple blood test or even a simple glucose finger prick test.
Two risks one can not control as to whether they develop diabetes is their age and their heredity status. Heredity factors do play a profound impact on one's health, especially whether one has diabetes or not. Researchers know that diabetes can be heredity. For this reason, if you all ready know it runs in your family, you should begin making healthy choices now that will give your body better odds at fighting diabetes in the future, in case it does. Age is also a factor we can not avoid. As we get older, our bodies are prone at developing certain diseases including diabetes (especially after we are over the age of 40). As with heredity, the smart person will make better health decisions as they age.
What else can one do to help prevent diabetes? The answers are pretty obvious, if you really stop and think. The necessary defenses against diabetes are really the same for every health risk, lose weight. Obesity is a big factor is the rise of type 2 diabetes. Here are some easy slimming tricks to try.
1. Drink more water. If you want to lose weight, try drinking a glass or two before dinner. You will decrease your appetite.
2. Walk more. If you can, try wearing a pedometer and count your steps each day. The goal is 10,000 steps a day.
3. Take a relaxing walk in the evenings after dinner. Even a short walk around the block, can help reduce stress, strengthen and relax your muscles and help you lose weight.
4. Take healthy snacks with you. Keep raisins, rice cakes, etc in your purse or car. When you are on the go and you get the munchies you will have a healthy choice handy.
5. Take the stairs instead of the elevators. We have all heard this trick. Those extra steps will add up over time.
6. Sip water throughout the day.
7. When you are talking on the phone, don't sit down in front of the television. Get up and pace, while you talk.
8. Limit your portion size.
9. No more snacking three hours before bedtime. If you have to eat, make it light. Cereal and low fat milk is a good choice.
10. Find a workout buddy. Exercising with a pal makes the time go faster.
By paying more attention to your body, watching for any signals that you could have diabetes and by watching your weight, you will have a better fighting chance to take control of diabetes, if it would to ever strike, before it controls you.