You know you have diabetes when you notice classic symptoms like extreme thirst, frequent urination (especially at night), increased hunger, fatigue, blurry vision, slow-healing sores, or unexplained weight loss, leading to a doctor diagnosing high blood sugar through tests like the Glucose Tolerance Test, which confirms high glucose readings after drinking a sugary drink. Recognizing these signs, often called the "4Ts" (Thirsty, Toilet, Thinner, Tired), prompts a medical evaluation for management.
Urinating often. Feeling very thirsty. Feeling very hungry—even though you are eating. Extreme fatigue.
Yes, diabetes can cause easier bruising and slow-healing bruises due to high blood sugar damaging blood vessels, affecting skin elasticity (thinning it), and impacting nerve function, which reduces sensation to minor injuries. Poor circulation from diabetes also means bruises take longer to heal because less oxygen and fewer nutrients reach the skin, impairing repair. Bruising can also occur from needles used for glucose monitoring or insulin injections, which can be more noticeable in diabetics.
Early signs of diabetes often include increased thirst and frequent urination, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and unexplained weight loss (especially Type 1) or weight gain (Type 2), but Type 2 symptoms can be mild or absent, so regular checkups are key. Tingling in hands/feet, frequent infections (yeast, UTIs), and mood changes can also appear.
Diabetes often starts with mild symptoms such as feeling very hungry and tired, needing to pee a lot, being very thirsty, having a dry mouth, itchy skin, and blurry vision. Type 1 diabetes symptoms appear quickly and are more severe, while type 2 symptoms develop slowly.
Three common signs of diabetes are increased thirst and frequent urination, extreme tiredness, and blurry vision or slow-healing sores, often stemming from high blood sugar levels affecting the body. These symptoms, sometimes called the "Three Ps" (polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia), can develop slowly in Type 2 diabetes or quickly in Type 1.
Five common signs of prediabetes include increased thirst/urination, constant fatigue, blurry vision, dark skin patches (acanthosis nigricans), and slow-healing cuts or frequent infections, though prediabetes often has no noticeable symptoms, making early detection key. These signs often signal higher blood sugar levels, indicating your body isn't using insulin effectively.
Fasting blood glucose test
This is a blood test that measures blood sugar levels after fasting. If your fasting blood sugar level is between 100 mg/dL and 125 mg/dL, it's an indication that you're prediabetic.
How do I check?
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia
For the few people who do experience symptoms of prediabetes, they may include: Darkened skin in your armpit or back and sides of your neck (acanthosis nigricans). Skin tags. Eye changes that can lead to diabetes-related retinopathy.
Losing weight can reverse type 2 diabetes, but is rarely achieved or recorded. Type 2 diabetes is generally perceived as progressive and incurable, but for many patients it can be reversed with sustained weight loss of around 15 kg, say experts in The BMJ today.
A DPM can examine your feet for diabetes warning signs such as redness, numbness, swelling, scaly skin, inflammation, loss of hair on the toes, and non-healing wounds or sores. If symptoms are found, the DPM will refer you to other physicians, in addition to scheduling you for regular visits.
Changes in blood sugar can cause rapid changes in mood and other mental symptoms such as fatigue, trouble thinking clearly, and anxiety. Having diabetes can cause a condition called diabetes distress which shares some traits of stress, depression and anxiety.
For many people, the journey to type 2 diabetes begins with a lesser-known condition: insulin resistance. It's a silent disruptor that often goes unnoticed until blood sugar levels are dangerously high.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. DR is when high blood sugar damages blood vessels in the retina (a part of your eye). Damaged blood vessels can swell and leak, causing blurry vision. DR usually affects both eyes.
If your blood sugar is low, follow the 15-15 rule: Have 15 grams of carbs, then wait 15 minutes. Check your blood sugar again. If it's still less than 70 mg/dL, repeat this process.
The only way to know for sure if you have diabetes is to have a blood test that measures blood glucose levels over time (the hemoglobin A1C test). However, diabetes can cause some symptoms, and knowing what they are can help you get that test as early as possible. Symptoms to look out for include: Increased thirst.
A finger prick test using a home testing kit or data from a continuous glucose monitor may show you have high blood sugar levels but won't confirm you have diabetes. You'll need a blood test sent to a laboratory to diagnose diabetes.
The Early Warning Signs
10 signs of uncontrolled diabetes. People with diabetes who have difficulty managing their blood glucose levels may experience symptoms such as thirst, frequent urination, fruity breath, and increase in infections. A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes usually happens in childhood.
Physical symptoms: reduced activity, low energy, tiredness, decreased physical endurance, increased effort to do physical tasks, general weakness, heaviness, slowness or sluggishness, nonrestorative sleep, and sleepiness.
Prediabetes is reversible. Prediabetes is a "warning zone" where blood sugar is high but not yet diabetic; lifestyle changes can return glucose levels to the normal range. Losing just 5% to 7% of your body weight (about 10-14 pounds for a 200 lb.
Prediabetes or Borderline diabetes is a condition in which you have higher than normal blood sugars, but not to a level high enough to be Diabetic. It is a condition that needs monitoring and lifestyle changes.
Early signs of diabetes often include increased thirst and frequent urination, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and unexplained weight loss (especially Type 1) or weight gain (Type 2), but Type 2 symptoms can be mild or absent, so regular checkups are key. Tingling in hands/feet, frequent infections (yeast, UTIs), and mood changes can also appear.