Men vs Women: Whose got the sugars?
Things to discuss:
Symptoms of high blood sugars in anyone
Symptoms of high blood sugars in men
Symptoms of high blood sugars in women
Having the highest blood sugars is not the contest that you want to win. There is a lot of pain and no gain. High blood sugars are always losing game. Testing your blood sugars frequently is the best way to identify when they are high. In absence of testing, there are symptoms to watch for. Symptoms of hyperglycemia typically begin when your blood glucose goes above 250 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). However, the symptoms can actually occur at a lower number around 180 mg/dL for people who are used to well controlled blood sugars. For someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes will be familiar with how it feels to have hyperglycemia. Especially if you were diagnosed with a hemoglobin AIC, then you definitely were noticing some signs before that. But for the 88 millions of people who have prediabetes and are unaware of it, the signs of high blood sugars are too subtle to notice and that is the reason why screenings for diabetes are important.
What are symptoms of diabetes that are going to be common to both men and women alike?
Short term:
Fatigue (feeling tired) - this is the most common early sign & can also mean low blood sugar
Having more thirst
Urinating more often, especially at nighttime
Feeling hungry more often
Headaches
Blurred vision
Long term:
Fatigue and all of the short term symptoms
Slow-healing skin sores
Other skin infections
Dental problems such as decay, gingivitis, cavities
Unintentional weight loss (if there is insulin deficiency)
Can there be a difference of the signs of diabetes in men and women?
Although men and women were created equal, they were also created different. Whereas, the general signs are listed above, there is a caveat that there can be some minor differences between the genders. Men and women can present differently and it is really important that a health care provider is aware of that.
Men may have muscle mass loss, increased fat, and erectile dysfunction. These signs also mirror that of lower testosterone that occurs naturally after the age of 30. Also, low testosterone can be a cause of glucose intolerance as well, so it just depends on your levels. The loss in muscle mass is hard to tell in a person who had not been conditioning with exercise. However, I can tell the difference because I have seen it, but that is not something that I can explain, because it is just a skill. Erectile dysfunction is a very early sign of diabetes and it is extremely common. There can also be fungal genital rashes, but that will typically depend on individual differences in the thickness of the skin folds.
Women may have urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections, and hair loss. Of course, there are a multitude of other factors that cause those issues, so here are some tidbits to help you decide. Urinary tract infections can be very common for some women, but not others. If you start to get them and you have never had them before then you should start monitoring your blood sugars more. The most common presentation in women is repeat vaginal yeast infections that will not go away. Third, hair loss is very non-specific. The most common cause that I see is severe stress and menopause. It can be low iron, low thyroid, and many more. When it happens because of uncontrolled blood sugars in diabetes, it is a long-term issue of poor control and you are just sick organically. High blood sugars are not healthy.
A personal note:
None of the symptoms of diabetes are pleasant. No one wants the side effects of high blood sugars. Most of us fear the long-term consequences of diabetes complications, like strokes, heart failure, heart attacks, kidney damage, nerve damage and eye damage. If you are ready to live healthy and lower those blood sugars, schedule an appointment with me at Evolve Diabetes.
