Diabetes causes a person’s blood sugar to become too high, which must be handled carefully to prevent complications later on. Unfortunately, this condition doesn’t always produce obvious symptoms. However, excessive sweating at night could be a sign that high blood sugar has damaged the nerves.
Too much can be a sign of low blood sugar and nerve damage in the blood.
However, the most common reason for abnormal sweating in people with this condition is diabetes-related nervous system damage.
According to the American Diabetes Association, about half of people with diabetes have some degree of nerve damage.
When nerve damage occurs, called autonomic neuropathy, it sometimes affects the sweat glands.
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High blood sugar and high amounts of fats, such as triglycerides, can damage nerves or the blood vessels that nourish nerves.
This can produce a number of different symptoms depending on which body function is affected.
“Damage to the nerves that control your sweat glands can cause you to sweat a lot at night or while eating,” says the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
“Your sweat glands may be completely dormant, or some parts of your body may sweat while others are dry.
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“If your sweat glands aren’t working properly, your body may not be able to control its temperature.”
Sometimes nerve damage prevents signals from being sent to different parts of the body, which can lead to numbness.
Other types of discomfort may occur, such as sharp pain, cramping, muscle weakness, or sensitivity to touch.
Depending on the nerves affected, neuropathy can cause these sensations in the hands, feet, and legs.
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“Nerve damage can cause health problems, ranging from mild numbness to pain that makes it difficult to do normal activities,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How to prevent diabetes
There are several steps that can help prevent diabetes, but the most sensible starting point is diet.
Choose whole grain products over refined nuts and other processed carbohydrates.
This is because refined carbohydrates can increase blood triglycerides, blood sugar and cause insulin resistance, which is a major risk factor for diabetes.
Regular physical activity also has many benefits for blood sugar control, as it can help keep them at healthy levels for up to 48 hours.
Plants, which provide many vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, are good sources of energy for the body.
Fiber can also slow the absorption of sugar and interfere with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.
These food sources also promote weight loss, which in turn may reduce the risk of diabetes.
Source: | This article first appeared on Express.co.uk
