Diabetes is the most common endocrine disease which brings with it many complications such as a diabetes fatigue, wounds that are difficult to heal or cannot heal at all, tingling in the legs, attacks of nervousness and aggressiveness. Number of people with t2 diabetes, i.e. type 2 diabetes, is particularly high. It can be said that t2 diabetes is a disease of modern man because its causes are:
1. Insufficient physical activity
2. Improper diet
3. Stress
As one of its consequences, but also a complication, there is a constant feeling of tiredness.
Diabetics can get tired even with the smallest physical activities.
If the diabetes fatigue remain untreated in time, the symptoms become more and more severe. The person sleeps longer and longer because he feels sleepy and can move less and less because he is gaining more and more body mass.
Type 2 diabetes usually comes with weight gain, which further worsens the situation.
It is not uncommon for these circumstances to lead to depression as a consequence of diabetes.
That is why it is extremely important to treat diabetes fatigue. But let’s first understand what causes it.
WHY DOES DIABETES MAKE YOU TIRED
People with diabetes may feel constantly tired.
This happens because they have an elevated concentration of sugar in the blood, but that sugar cannot enter the cells. Those cells where the entry of sugar depends on insulin, and to be converted into energy. To be used as fuel.
Therefore, the muscles do not receive enough sugar to use as a source of energy. This is why it is difficult for people with diabetes to move or exercise. It is the main cause of diabetic fatigue.
In addition, increased blood sugar levels cause constant sleepiness in diabetics. Disrupts concentration and even depression. This is because high blood sugar interferes with the normal functioning of nerve cells. It can be said that it destroys them.
Alzheimer’s forgetfulness is significantly more common in long-term diabetics.
Since the level of sugar in the blood is increased, and the body cannot use it as energy, this excess sugar is converted into fat. That’s why type 2 diabetics gain weight. Obesity leads to additional diabetes fatigue.
People who have poorly regulated blood sugar for many years can have significant changes in blood vessels that also cause a feeling of chronic fatigue.
The formation of arteriosclerotic plaques on the blood vessels of the heart is very common in these people. Due to the narrowing, the blood vessels cannot feed the heart muscle properly and consequently it cannot pump enough blood for the whole body.
Frequent interruption of night sleep due to nocturnal urination, which is one of the symptoms of diabetes, further aggravates fatigue in diabetics. In order to function well and feel rested, we need 6-8 hours of continuous sleep.
DIABETES FATIGUE TREATMENT
Most often, if you have type 2 diabetes, you will hear the advice to start exercising. But how can I start exercising when I get tired even with the most ordinary walk?
Another tip that everyone gives you in order to reduce diabetes fatigue is to cut back on calories. As soon as you lose a little weight, it will be easier for you, you will carry less burden and therefore you will tire less.
But how do I cut back on eating when I’m constantly hungry?
If you know you are diabetic the first thing you need to do is to see a doctor specializing in endocrinology, who will prescribe blood sugar-lowering drugs or, in some cases, insulin. If you suspect you have diabetes, visit the site allsignsofdiabetes.com to see if there is a reason for it.However, medicines alone are not enough in some cases.
You need to become physically active. You are probably wondering, but how can I do exercises when I feel tired? In such cases, there are supplements that can help reduce diabetes fatigue and thus give yourself a chance to break the vicious cycle you’ve found yourself in.
These supplements help:
1. Your muscles to work better
2. Your body to convert sugar into energy
3. To start using fat as energy, that is, to lose weight.
When you start drinking supplements after two to three weeks you should start to see a slight improvement in the feeling of chronic exhaustion. This is the right moment to start exercising, but in a way that we will explain below.
WORKOUTS AGAINST DIABETES FATIGUE
Recommended types of physical activities for diabetics are:
- running,
- swimming,
- aerobics,
- cycling
- brisk walking and
- dancing.
If a person gets too tired, it is sufficient to introduce half an hour of walking at first.
Then gradually introduce physical activities in which large muscle groups are activated in order to increase tissue sensitivity to insulin and the entry of glucose into cells. These are, for example, squats or lunges.
Diabetics should gradually introduce exercises lasting 20-30 minutes three times a week. The person should sweat, but he must not feel dizzy, excessive heart palpitations, or face pallor.
Gradually increase exercise to a minimum of 150 min per week.
Perseverance on this path is the key to the solution. You have to remember that diabetes fatigue did not develop overnight, so it will not disappear overnight.
It would be a good idea to write an activity plan for each week and try to stick to it. If sometimes you don’t do everything that was planned, don’t judge yourself and give up, but start again from the beginning until it becomes a routine and a habit.
In order to avoid large fluctuations in glycemia, and especially hypoglycemia caused by exercise, you should follow diabetic exercise rules.
Your training goals should be values of Body Mass Index to be below 25kg/m2. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated by dividing body mass in kilograms by the number obtained when height is multiplied by height in meters.
For example, if you weigh 80 kg and are 180 cm tall, you will calculate your body mass index
BMI=80/(1,8*1,8)
BMI=24,7kg/m2
One of the indicators of good metabolic control is waist circumference, the target values of which should be lower than 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men. Waist circumference is considered to be one of the indicators of visceral fat. These are the fats that accumulate around the organs and disrupt their work.
Before introducing physical activity, you should consider:
1. Do you normally do a physically demanding job, so you don’t need additional physical activity, or do you have a job where you sit all the time, so it is necessary to introduce physical activity.
2. Age – the exercise program for a 23-year-old is not the same as for a 63-year-old
3. Physical fitness,
4. The severity of the underlying disease,
5. Presence of complications of diabetes – has the person had a stroke or heart attack, neuropathy…
6. The presence of poor disease regulation – how often hypoglycemia occurs
HOW EXERCISE REDUCES THE FEELING OF DIABETES FATIGUE
After exercise sugar level is lower
- It increases tissue sensitivity to insulin, that is, it increases the number of receptors on cells
- It reduces the need for insulin and helps better use of insulin
- It has a favorable effect on the cardiovascular system
- Helps control body weight
It is recommended that before the introduction of physical activity, diabetics visit a cardiologist and perform a heart load test as well as other analyzes to confirm that exercise is safe for them.
TIRED AFTER EATING DIABETES
Normal fatigue is when you feel tired, then lie down and take a good night’s sleep. After that you feel rested again.
Diabetes fatigue is such that even when you wake up in the morning you can feel tired and exhausted. Or you start to feel tired already after minor activities.
You can’t climb stairs and everything is just hard for you. If you feel particularly tired after eating, this may be one of the signs that you have diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes often have a great desire to eat.
However, they feel tired after eating. This is because high blood sugar makes you sleepy and tired.
It should be remembered here that if you are a diabetic and at any moment you feel nausea and disgust in addition to fatigue, you must seek emergency medical help. It could be ketoacidosis.
INSULIN RESISTANCE AND FATIGUE
Insulin resistance is a condition that precedes diabetes if left untreated.
People who have it feel more and more tired every day. People with insulin resistance may have hunger pangs and then feel sleepy and tired when they eat.
This is because high blood sugar makes you sleepy and tired. Fortunately, insulin resistance can be completely overcome with the help of physical activity, diet and supplement.
In the beginning, if it is difficult for a person to move, they can take supplements that are also intended for diabetics. These supplements allow the muscles to take sugar from the blood and use it for energy. Therefore, the muscles can work harder and be stronger.