Sorry, suddenly being able to ditch your glasses probably isn’t good news: “You’ll often read that blurry vision is as a diabetes symptom when, in fact, vision can change for better or worse,” says Howard Baum, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the diabetes division at Vanderbilt University. “I’ve had patients tell me that their vision has improved when their blood sugars were elevated, and then after they start treating their diabetes, they needed their glasses again.” What gives? Diabetes causes fluid levels in the body to shift around, including inside your eyes, which leads to the erratic eyesight.
3. You have unrelenting itchiness
Think it’s silly to mention scratchy skin to your doctor? Not so. Diabetes impairs blood circulation, which can lead to dryness and itchiness. “Some of my newly diagnosed diabetes patients mention they’re itchy on their extremities—the hands, lower legs, and feet—so it’s something doctors should consider in conjunction with other symptoms,” says Baum. If regular use of a moisturizer doesn’t fix the itch, bring it up at your next appointment.
4. Your hearing isn’t what it used to be
If you find yourself cranking the volume on the TV or you can’t get through a conversation without asking people to repeat themselves, tell your doctor you need a blood sugar test. One study by the National Institute of Health suggested hearing loss could be an early warning sign of diabetes: People with higher than normal blood sugar who didn’t yet meet the criteria for diabetes were 30% more likely to have hearing damage than those with healthy glucose levels. The researchers believe that diabetes damages the blood vessels and nerves of the inner ear, leading to sub-par hearing.5. You snore like a chainsaw
“About half of type 2 diabetics have sleep-disordered breathing,” says Osama Hamdy, MD, director of inpatient diabetes management at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. So if you’re diagnosed with the condition—characterized by loud snoring and daytime sleepiness—it’s a good bet to get your blood sugar levels checked, too. One recent Canadian study showed that 23% of patients diagnosed with mild or moderate obstructivesleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, went on to develop diabetes within 5½ years. The connection isn’t completely understood, but there’s one important link between the two: Patients with sleep-disordered breathing tend to release stress hormones during sleep, which can raise blood sugar levels.
