People who have diabetes often have poor sleep habits, including difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Some people with diabetes get too much sleep, while others have problems getting enough sleep.
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 one's level of blood glucose and the amount or effectiveness of circulating insulin.
Fatigue is a common symptom of diabetes that is not limited to uncontrolled diabetes. Persons may complain of fatigue along with a variety of symptoms, which may together herald comorbid psychological, medical, metabolic or endocrine, and acute or chronic complications.
Type 2 diabetes symptoms vary from person to person. There are many symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Constantly feeling tired is a common symptom, but here are additional signs of type 2 diabetes that you should monitor. As mentioned previously, your energy levels may decrease once you develop type 2 diabetes.
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.
If you are struggling to get up in the morning; feeling a total lack of energy or 'fogginess' or not able to perform the tasks you normally do as simply too exhausted it may be that you actually are suffering from fatigue... and it could be a side effect of your diabetes.
Cells use insulin to absorb glucose from the blood and can then use this for energy. In people with diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the body does not use insulin effectively. This causes excess glucose in the blood. Fatigue and weakness may result when the cells do not get enough glucose.
High Blood Sugar Causes Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of high blood sugar. In people with diabetes, it is referred to as diabetes fatigue. Many people with the condition feel tired all the time regardless of how well they sleep, how healthily they eat, or how much they exercise on a regular basis.
If hypoglycaemia isn't treated promptly and your blood glucose levels drop low enough, you may become drowsy or even lose consciousness. Most people with insulin-treated diabetes notice that the symptoms of hypoglycaemia change and become less obvious the longer they live with the condition.
increased thirst and a dry mouth. needing to pee frequently. tiredness. blurred vision.
Common causes of tiredness and fatigue include: not getting enough sleep or finding it hard to get to sleep (insomnia) an unhealthy lifestyle (such as having an unhealthy diet and not getting much exercise) stress, depression and dealing with life challenges, such as bereavement or looking after a new baby.
If you get less than 7 hours of sleep per night regularly, your diabetes will be harder to manage. Too little sleep can: Increase insulin resistance. Make you hungrier the next day and reduce how full you feel after eating.
The Dawn Phenomenon
If you have diabetes, your body doesn't release more insulin to match the early-morning rise in blood sugar. It's called the dawn phenomenon, since it usually happens between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. The dawn phenomenon happens to nearly everyone with diabetes.
Try to go 10–12 hours each night without eating, Sheth said. For instance, if you eat breakfast at 8:30 a.m. every morning, that means capping your nighttime meals and snacks between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. each night.
The symptoms of diabetes include feeling very thirsty, passing more urine than usual, and feeling tired all the time. The symptoms occur because some or all of the glucose stays in your blood and isn't used as fuel for energy. Your body tries to get rid of the excess glucose in your urine.
Taking metformin can cause vitamin B12 deficiency if you take it for a long time. This can make you feel very tired, breathless and faint, so your doctor may check the vitamin B12 level in your blood. If your vitamin B12 levels become too low, vitamin B12 supplements will help.
Drinking plenty of water helps your kidneys flush out excess sugar. One study found that people who drink more water lower their risk for developing high blood sugar levels. And remember, water is the best. Sugary drinks elevate blood sugar by raising it even more.
When blood sugar spikes after eating, it can leave you feeling tired, lethargic and moody. Over time, chronic blood sugar issues can put you at risk for conditions like kidney disease, heart disease and even dementia.
Some people who have diabetes may not notice any symptoms when their blood sugar level is in this range. The main symptoms of high blood sugar are: Increased thirst. Increased urination.
But if you have diabetes, you may not make enough insulin or may be too insulin resistant to counter the increase in blood glucose. As a result, your levels may be elevated when you wake up. The dawn phenomenon does not discriminate between types of diabetes.
Yes, fatigue after eating is a possible symptom of diabetes. But it's also a sign of a poor diet in general. Whether you have diabetes or not, high blood sugar can make you sleepy, because when your blood sugar crashes, you end up feeling fatigued and sluggish.