Pre Diabetes Symptoms

The majority of people who develop diabetes also had pre diabetes symptoms. Knowing what these early symptoms of diabetes are and how to recognize them in yourself can help you avoid a diabetic diagnosis down the road.

The term prediabetes is medical jargon for a condition in which your fasting blood sugar levels are higher than normal, (between 100 - 126 mg/dl) but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. What is important is that the long-term damage of diabetes — especially to the heart and circulatory system begins in the symptoms of prediabetes.

What Are the Symptoms of Prediabetes?

Most of the information about pre diabetes symptoms comes from the ADA and other medical websites. All they say is that blood sugar is a number in a certain range. However, I believe that the signs of prediabetes begin even sooner.

After years of carbohydrate addiction and sugar cravings, I started to develop prediabetes, but my fasting blood sugar was still under 100. Had I relied on that number alone, I could have developed full blown diabetes.

And the pre diabetes symptoms I experienced didn't come on all at once. I just started noticing I was developing health problems. The good news is that I was able to reverse my prediabetes by drastically reducing my carbohydrate intake. I have also found that if I slip up and eat too many carbs, the symptoms start to return.

Here are the pre diabetes symptoms which I believe indicate a change in diet is needed:

1. Heartburn, especially during sleep; a diagnosis of GERD – Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
2. Digestive issues. You get frequent stomach aches, and are constantly dealing with gas pain, bloating and stool issues, cycling between diarrhea and constipation.
3. Headaches and a sore throat that comes and goes.
4. Breathing issues, especially at night; you may have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.
5. Dizzy spells, and a feeling of being lightheaded sometimes, especially after having sweets. (This indicates reactive hypoglycemia.)
6. Weight gain, and difficulty losing it, even when you exercise.
7. Blurred vision that seems to be worsening, and trouble seeing at night.
8. A constant feeling of being tired. No matter how much you sleep, or work out, you feel fatigued.
9. Frequent bouts of depression for no reason. You’ll be fine, and then you feel sad all of a sudden, without any cause.
10. Joint aches, and muscle and joint stiffness when you get up in the morning. You may even have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis.
11. Your feet burn and your toes feel numb when you stand for long periods of time.
12. Swollen ankles, and a general feeling of puffiness or water retention, especially if you sit for long periods of time.
13. If you don’t eat, you get really grumpy. You may also feel nauseous and shaky.
14. Waking up in middle of the night with your heart pounding. Often you also feel nauseated or cold. It happens more often if you've been eating high sugar meals.
15. Constant hunger, no matter how much you eat. You often think, "How can I be hungry? I just ate!"
16. Frequent yeast infections, and cuts or bruises you get don’t seem to heal quickly.
17. After every meal, you really crave something sweet.
18. Skin that is grainy and dry, or it may have red, scaly patches. You may have been diagnosed with lichen sclerosis or have labial or anal fissure issues.
19. Heels which are dry and cracked, and which get worse if you go barefoot.
20. The dentist tells you that have gingivitis, even though you brush and floss every day. You often wake up with a nasty taste in your mouth, even though you brush before bed.
21. A groggy, sleepy feeling after meals, even when you have plenty of rest.

Having these pre diabetes symptoms is a good indication you are on a path toward a diagnosis of some sort of autoimmune disease such as celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or type 2 diabetes.

The only way I know to reverse these symptoms is to lower your carbohydrate intake, permanently. A prediabetes diet means cutting sugar and grain consumption, and learning to eat a higher fat, moderate protein diet. To learn more about how to do that, buy a book on low carb diets and read it.

I would recommend The Protein Power Lifeplan by Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (Completely Updated!) or The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution.

These symptoms can also be reversed if you are already diagnosed with diabetes. Here's an excellent case study: Dr. Richard Bernstein: My First Fifty Years as a Diabetic.

In addition, check out The Quintessential Diabetes Links Resource. Lots of good information here.

Done with Pre Diabetes Symptoms, back to Home