Is Frequent Drowsiness a Symptom of Diabetes? Fact Check

Drowsiness can be caused by various factors. However, you need to be wary if you feel sleepy throughout the day even when you have had enough sleep. The reason is, this condition can be a sign of diabetes. How to distinguish drowsiness due to diabetes and normal drowsiness? Check out the explanation below.

Drowsiness and Symptoms of Diabetes

Fatigue is generally accompanied by feelings of sleepiness. The two conditions will disappear after a good quality nap or night’s sleep.

However, some people feel extremely tired, even after a good night’s sleep. As a result, drowsiness occurs throughout the day and interferes with activities.

Feeling sleepy throughout the day can be a sign of a problem in the body’s metabolism, one of which is glycemia or high blood sugar levels.

Blood sugar regulation in the body is influenced by the hormone insulin. This hormone will carry glucose to other body cells to be converted into energy.

When insulin doesn’t work properly or there isn’t enough of it, glucose builds up in the blood.

This condition results in a lack of ‘food’ cells to produce energy. This is what causes the appearance of great tiredness and sleepiness. It should be noted that not all fatigue is a sign of diabetes.

Besides drowsiness, there are several other symptoms that are a sign of diabetes, namely:

• Frequent urination.
• Often feel hungry.
• Often feel thirsty.
• Blurred vision.
• Dry skin.
• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet.
• Old wounds heal.

If you are sleepy all day accompanied by the above symptoms, you should consult a doctor to get the right diagnosis.

Also Read: Don’t Underestimate Loose Teeth, It Could Be a Sign of Diabetes

How to Overcome Excessive Sleepiness

Sometimes, feeling sleepy throughout the day can be frustrating. If drowsiness is caused by diabetes, then this condition can certainly be overcome with lifestyle changes.

Here are some ways you can do to deal with fatigue and intense drowsiness, including:

1. Running a Healthy Lifestyle

If you have diabetes, then a change in diet is required. Reducing consumption of carbohydrates and sweet foods can prevent spikes in blood sugar.

You are advised to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables with a low glycemic index, low-fat protein, and unsaturated fats. Apart from that, you also need to limit your consumption of alcohol, saturated fat, and salt.

Not only the food menu, you also need to pay attention to the portion of food consumed every day. Be sure to fill half your plate with foods that contain fiber. Complete the other quarter with protein and the rest with complex carbohydrates.

2. Exercise Routine

Being active helps the body to become more sensitive to insulin. In addition, exercise can also help control blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart and nerve disease.

It is recommended that you do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. You need to choose physical activities that increase muscle mass, raise your heart rate and make you breathe harder.

Some suggested activities include: swimming, dancing, walking, and cycling. Choose activities that you like so you can enjoy every exercise session.

Also Read: Why can eating late habits trigger diabetes?

3. Meet the Needs of Vitamin D

Lack of vitamin D can cause drowsiness and the body feels low on energy because this vitamin has a role in blood sugar regulation in the body.

One of the causes of diabetes is pancreatic cells that are not able to work optimally in producing insulin.

When the body lacks vitamin D, the pancreas cannot work optimally because there is a receptor in the pancreas that is active only when there is vitamin D.

Meeting the needs of vitamin D can reduce insulin resistance and control blood sugar in the body. When blood sugar in the body is stable and within the normal range, drowsiness and fatigue can be overcome.

One of the causes of sleepiness throughout the day is a problem in glucose metabolism. However, there are several other causes such as anemia or poor quality night’s sleep.

If drowsiness is interfering with your daily activities, seek professional medical help immediately.

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