What Causes People With Diabetes To Be Tired
Two common reasons for tiredness or lethargy are having too high or too low blood sugar levels.
In both cases, the tiredness is the result of having an imbalance between ones level of blood glucose and the amount or effectiveness of circulating insulin.
If you feel tired during the day, despite having slept well, it could be a result of either high or low sugar levels.
It is best to test your blood glucose levels to see whether the tiredness is indeed a result of having high or low sugar levels.
This is particularly important for people on insulin.
- Read about the recommended blood glucose levels ranges
How Can People With Diabetes Cope With Sleep Issues
Careful management of blood sugar levels can help improve sleep for people with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, given the close relationship between diabetes and sleep, good sleep hygiene habits are particularly important. These include both daytime and nighttime habits, such as:
- Adhering to a diet plan that works for you and helps keep blood sugar controlled
- Getting regular exercise
- Keeping a regular sleep schedule
- Avoiding stimulants like caffeine or nicotine before bed
- Keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
Based on your personal situation, your doctor may be able to recommend sleep aids for diabetics or additional ways to get better sleep. They may choose to conduct a polysomnogram, or sleep study, to see if a sleep disorder is to blame for your sleep problems. Secondary sleep disorders can then be treated with targeted therapies such as a CPAP machine.
- Was this article helpful?
How Does Diabetes Affect Sleep
Its estimated that one in two people with type 2 diabetes have sleep problems due to unstable blood sugar levels and accompanying diabetes-related symptoms, High blood sugar and low blood sugar during the night can lead to insomnia and next-day fatigue. As with many chronic conditions, feelings of depression or stress about the disease itself may also keep you awake at night.
When blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys overcompensate by causing you to urinate more often. During the night, these frequent trips to the bathroom lead to disrupted sleep. High blood sugar may also cause headaches, increased thirst, and tiredness that can interfere with falling asleep.
By contrast, going too many hours without eating or taking the wrong balance of diabetes medication can also lead to low blood sugar levels at night. You may have nightmares, break out into a sweat, or feel irritated or confused when you wake up.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you are experiencing fatigue, trouble sleeping, or any other worrying symptoms. They can help analyze the reason and work with you to keep your blood sugar levels more stable.
Recommended Reading: What Supplement Curbs Sugar Cravings
Nutritional Therapy To Restore Energy
Begin by eating foods that are low on the glycemicindex.
Avoid flour and bread, which cause blood sugar to peak faster,sugar and all other refined carbohydrates, including alcohol,and caffeine. Reduce dairy foods, fried and fatty foods, fast foods, pastries, preparedmeats, and saturated fats. Eliminate preserved foods and redmeats unless they are range free from your health food store. Keep fruit at a minimum.
Glycemic Index of Common Foods
Include in the diet as much fiber as possible fromfresh vegetables and small amounts of whole grains. Grain consumptionshould be minimal. Small amounts of millet, quinoa, amaranth,or wild rice no bigger than the palm of your hand at mealtimeis adequate. Meals should be small and frequent in order tokeep blood sugar at a normal level. Protein should be includedwith each meal.
Whenever possible buy organically grown produce. Salad and lightly steamed vegetables should be included in atleast two of your meals a day. Eating close to the zone dietwould be a good building diet to get one on track. It is especiallygood for people with blood sugar disorders.
Green superfoods such as spirulina, barley grassjuice, and wheat grass juice are good for between meal snacksas they help to keep the blood sugar level. Superfoods Described Snacks between mealscan include nuts and seeds. Parsley, wheatgrass, carrot and celery juices, along with green vegetables buildthe blood.
Why You Feel Tired
When you feel tired, its because you either
Does this make sense?
If your pancreas is unable to produce a sufficient amount of insulin, or if you are not reacting properly to insulin, your cells wont receive the right amount of glucose that they need to produce energy.
The result is that you feel tired all the time, you become forgetful, you cant think clearly and many people become moody.
So no sugar rush, but the exact opposite and many times, a sugar crash.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Test Your Blood Sugar
How To Identify Blood Sugar Spikes
Fatigue is associated with a myriad of other conditions, as well as just day-to-day life and other stressors, so it alone cannot tell you whether you are experiencing a blood sugar spike. People with diabetes are encouraged to keep tabs on their blood sugar levels to detect any sudden changes. This is one of the ways they can identify when blood sugar spikes happen.
The most common cause of high blood sugar is improper insulin production. Insulin is the hormone that is tasked with regulating blood sugar levels, and if it is not being produced at high enough levels or at all, it can lead to high blood sugar levels.
There are few reasons why insulin levels in the body are inadequate, including:
- Eating too much
- Not receiving enough insulin from treatment
- Having a malfunctioning diabetes pump
- Having insulin that is ineffective at managing blood sugar levels
Other risk factors that should be taken into consideration include weight, age, history of smoking, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure levels. These can all contribute to diabetes.
For a person without diabetes, insulin levels are unlikely to be considered at all. This is why it can be helpful to keep a food log and note levels of fatigue or other symptoms following every meal. If fatigue generally sets in after eating, it could be a sign that its attributed to blood sugar levels. If this does happen, it may indicate that a person should follow up with their doctor and have their blood sugar levels checked.
Why Does Diabetes Cause Sudden Weight Loss Constant Hunger And Fatigue
Your body gets energy from glucose that is in the foods you eat. In type 2 diabetes, your body is not able to use the glucose effectively. This causes your blood glucose levels to become too high. This can lead to constant hunger. Your body may start burning fat and muscle for energy instead, which can cause rapid weight loss.1,2
Weight loss can also be caused by frequent urination, which is another common symptom of type 2 diabetes. This happens in type 2 diabetes when extra glucose and other fluids from your organs are removed in your urine. This process can make you dehydrated and leave you feeling extra thirsty. This causes you to drink more fluids to quench your thirst, which leads to even more urination.2
Dehydration from excessive urination can also lead to feelings of fatigue. High blood sugar is another cause of fatigue since your body cannot use the glucose for energy. Studies have found that fatigue in people with type 2 diabetes may also be a result of chronic inflammation caused by a weakened immune system.3
Read Also: What Is Considered Too Low Blood Sugar
How Does Poor Sleep Affect Blood Sugar Levels
Just as diabetes can cause sleep problems, sleep problems also appear to play a role in diabetes. Getting poor sleep or less restorative slow-wave sleep has been linked to high blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and prediabetes. However, its not entirely clear whether one causes the other or whether more variables are at work. Researchers believe that sleep restriction may affect blood sugar levels due to its effects on insulin, cortisol, and oxidative stress.
One-quarter of people with diabetes report sleeping less than six hours or more than eight hours a night, which puts them at a higher risk of having elevated blood sugar. In addition to raising blood sugar levels in people who already have diabetes, sleep deprivation also raises the risk of developing insulin resistance in the first place. This link becomes apparent as early as childhood.
Studies have also found that later or irregular sleeping schedules are correlated with higher blood sugar, even in non-diabetic people. However, there may be other variables that explain this, such as the fact that people with irregular sleeping schedules are more likely to follow an erratic diet.
Sleep deprivation raises levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and decreases levels of leptin, the hormone that makes us feel full. To compensate for lower energy levels, people who sleep poorly may be more likely to seek relief in foods that raise blood sugar and put them at risk of obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes.
Causes Related To Blood Sugar
High blood glucose makes your blood sludgy, slowing circulation so cells cant get the oxygen and nutrients they need. Margaret commented, I can tell if my sugars are high in the morning, because groggy doesnt begin to describe it. Drugged is how it feels.
Low sugars levels also cause diabetes fatigue, because when blood sugar is low, there is not enough fuel for the cells to work well.
In addition, high blood glucose can cause diabetes fatigue through inflammation. Blood vessels get inflamed by the sugar. When this happens, according to research, immune cells called monocytes come into the brain, causing fatigue.
Don’t Miss: What Happens When Blood Sugar Is Too Low
Tingling Hands And Feet
Over the years, hyperglycemia can begin to impact nerve function and eventually cause nerve damage, called neuropathy, Dr. Hatipoglu says. The most common kind of neuropathy is peripheral, according to the NIDDK, which affects the extremities. You might start noticing feelings of tingling, numbness, or burning in your hands, feet, arms, and legs, per the Mayo Clinic.
Fatigue After Eating Sugar Heres What All You Need To Know
Do you feel exhausted and tired every time you eat an ice cream or a muffin? Read the following article to find out the reasons behind your experience of tiredness after eating sugar.
Do you feel exhausted and tired every time you eat an ice cream or a muffin? Read the following article to find out the reasons behind your experience of tiredness after eating sugar.
We all love sweets and often consume them to satisfy our taste buds. Some of us even get sugar cravings, which no other foods can satisfy. Sweets or any other high sugar content food item, for that matter, can alleviate our mood or so we think. In some people however, it has an adverse effect. Following are the causes, certain accompanying symptoms and preventive measures to be taken to alleviate the condition.
Recommended Reading: How To Increase Blood Sugar Level Naturally
Consult Your Doctor When
A high dose of an anti-diabetic drug can lead to a low blood sugar episode. As it could also be one of the reasons for your weakness, your anti-diabetic drug may need to be changed. This will require you to consult your doctor.
Even when blood sugar levels are under control, you must go for your follow-ups as scheduled so that your Doctor is well aware of your health condition and can plan the next steps as required.
How To Lower High Blood Sugar
With careful monitoring and control of your blood sugar levels, you can live a healthy life. There are a number of ways you can lower and prevent high blood sugar.
Learn to count carbohydrates: When you count carbs or keep track of what you are eating, you can control your blood sugar more efficiently. Set a maximum amount you can have each day for your meal,s and keep track to make sure you do not go past the limit. This helps to stabilize blood sugar and prevent dangerous spikes. Portion control is important too, so make sure your meals are not too large, as these can cause temporary spikes.
Try meal planning: To help keep track of your carbohydrate intake, start planning your meals. Based on the amount of carbohydrates you can have, plan meals accordingly, so you do not risk going above the set limit. When your meals are planned, you also avoid eating out or getting convenience food, which contains more sugar and fat, and will negatively affect your blood sugar.
Start a weight loss program: Obesity contributes to diabetes and impairs your bodys ability to process energy efficiently. Losing weight helps your body to use insulin more efficiently, and it reduces fat storage, which can trigger inflammation in the body.
You May Like: Is Maple Syrup Better Than Sugar
How To Prevent Hyperglycaemia
There are simple ways to reduce your risk of severe or prolonged hyperglycaemia:
- Be careful what you eat be particularly aware of how snacking and eating sugary foods or carbohydrates can affect your blood sugar level.
- Stick to your treatment plan remember to take your insulin or other diabetes medications as recommended by your care team.
- Be as active as possible getting regular exercise can help stop your blood sugar level rising, but you should check with your doctor first if you’re taking diabetes medication, as some medicines can lead to hypoglycaemia if you exercise too much.
- Take extra care when you’re ill your care team can provide you with some “sick day rules” that outline what you can do to keep your blood sugar level under control during an illness.
- Monitor your blood sugar level your care team may suggest using a device to check your level at home so you can spot an increase early and take steps to stop it.
Page last reviewed: 08 August 2018 Next review due: 08 August 2021
Natural Treatment For High Blood Pressure
Preventing high blood pressure is key, however, there are natural treatment options available that could help to reduce your blood pressure.
Managing stress with meditation or deep-breathing exercises Quit smoking Eating more food rich in calcium and magnesium
Eating foods rich in potassium can help
In Addition to the options listed above, there are several natural supplements that may also help to lower blood pressure or prevent it from elevating, to begin with.
Berberine
Don’t Miss: What Is The Best Sugar Free Syrup
What Causes Hyperglycemia
High blood sugar levels are caused when the following factors are present for a long time:
- Long meal gap or irregular meal timings or a large meal
- Intake of high-carbohydrate or high-fat diet or outside-processed foods or alcohol
- Lack of physical activity
- Overweight or obesity
- Family history
If youre a non-diabetic, you can work on your health and prevent an increase in blood sugar levels. To know how, read our blog, How to prevent diabetes Methods that actually work
Now lets move on to the other cause of extreme tiredness in a diabetic
Fast Fix For Mild Fatigue
Some of us are simply tired with no medical cause. The good news is that exercise may give us a boost. Studies consistently show that people who engage in regular exercise feel less fatigue than those who don’t. When exercising for energy stay in the low-to-moderate exertion range, such as walking, yoga, or light resistance training to fight fatigue.
REFERENCES:
Read Also: How To Tell If Blood Sugar Is Low
Fatigue In Diabetes: A Vicious Cycle
Fatigue is a frequently encountered symptom in the general practice management of diabetes. Fatigue may be the presenting symptom of diabetes, or it may present as one of a constellation of complaints. It may even persist after glycemic control is achieved. All of these clinical situations, irrespective of causality or association, may be grouped together as DFS. Fatigue has been reported to be prevalent in patients with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes . Its association with inflammation, body mass index, insulin treatment, and depression has also been studied . The lack of correlation between fatigue on the one hand and hyperglycemia and glycemic variability on the other is also known . The unique features of fatigue in persons with diabetes have also been recognized, prompting the development of disease-specific diagnostic tools , as opposed to generic ones .
Diabetes and fatigue seem to have a bidirectional relationship, both feeding and worsening each other, thereby creating a vicious cycle of DFS . This relationship is strengthened by biochemical, psychological, and lifestyle factors.
What Should I Do If I Experience Unexplained Sudden Weight Loss Constant Hunger Or Fatigue
If you experience these common symptoms but have not been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you should see your doctor and discuss what you are experiencing. Talk to your doctor about measuring your blood glucose to determine if it is high and whether you may have diabetes.
If you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, unexplained sudden weight loss, constant hunger, and fatigue are signs that your blood glucose levels are not under control. You should contact your doctor right away about these symptoms, especially if you have signs of diabetic ketoacidosis .4
You May Like: How Much Sugar In Hard Cider
What About High Blood Sugar
There are even more factors that can make you feel tired when you have high blood sugar from eating the wrong TYPE or AMOUNT of foods.
When your blood sugar goes too high, your kidneys are working overtime to eliminate the excess of glucose and sugar from your blood. This makes you tired in 2 major ways: