wellness

What Causes Diabetes Dizziness?

What Causes Diabetes Dizziness?

When sudden dizziness occurs in healthy adults it’s often concerning. However, when dizziness strikes a diabetic individual, it can signal a variety of dangerous and even life-threatening conditions. Lightheadedness can strike without warning, accompanied by blurred vision, heart palpitations, excess sweating, confusion, and even fainting.

Most often, we associated sudden dizzy spells in diabetics as an indication of low blood glucose levels. However, diabetic lightheadedness and fainting can indicate more troubling health issues and should never be taken lightly. Diabetic patients should consider a dizzy spell an early warning indicator of the following common sources of diabetes-related issues, and seek medical attention immediately:

1. Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia, as the name suggests, refers to high blood sugar (or blood glucose) levels that increase to 180 mg/dL or higher, which can result in a trio of increased thirst (polydipsia), frequent urination (polyuria), and ravenous hunger (polyphagia), which present with the following range of symptoms:

    • Fatigue and confusion
    • Unquenchable thirst
    • Irritability and hunger (hanger)
    • Headache
    • Blurred vision
  • Dizziness and fainting

Hyperglycemia can lead to these dangerous related health issues if not treated with insulin or injectable/oral diabetes medications (i.e., Lyrica, Trulicity):

    • Nerve damage
    • Chronic skin and vaginal infections
    • Permanent vision damage (i.e., diabetic retinopathy)
    • Kidney damage (i.e., diabetic nephropathy)
    • Infections, such as skin and vaginal infections
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or nonketotic diabetic acidosis (HHNK), both emergency issues which can result in diabetic coma.

2. Hypoglycemia

If you don’t finger-prick test as often as closely as you should, a sudden dive in your blood sugar levels can cause a condition known as hypoglycemia (or low blood glucose levels) to come on quite quickly. Hypoglycemia can occur when glucose levels drop below 70 mg/dL, either due to hunger/lack of food or improper insulin usage. A hypoglycemic episode differs between patients. For example, in rare cases hypoglycemia unawareness (or an absence of symptoms) can occur). However, most often the warning symptoms tend to include:

    • Blurred vision or spots/tracers
    • Weak, shaky muscles
    • Excess sweating
    • Sudden ravenous hunger
    • Lightheadedness or dizziness
    • Confusion, or fog
    • Pounding headache
    • Moodiness and iritabilitiy
    • Accelerated heart rate
  • Loss of corrdination or fainting episodes

A hypoglycemic epoisode is a serious conditon, and should be treated by consuming a quick-acting carbohydrate rich food or drink (i.e., glucose tablets or juice) immediately to avoid the onset of a diabetic coma. Wait 15-minutes, and re-check to see if blood sugar has stabilized.

3. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy (or DAN) can become a complication of untreated or unmanaged diabetes. Early warning signs of DAN often include dizziness and fainting. If left untreated, DAN can wreak havoc on the autonomic nervous system as well as several vital organs within the body, resulting in:

    • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
    • Bladder infections
    • Intestinal issues (i.e., bloating, vomiting, indigestion)
    • Erectile dysfunction
    • Nerve damage (i.e., constipation)
    • Vision damage
  • Cardiovascular issues

Untreated type 1 or type 2 diabetes can lead to several health complications, such as eye damage and blindness, nerve and kidney damage, and a higher risk for heart disease or stroke. If you suffer from the early warning symptoms of diabetes, please consult with your doctor immediately for doctor-prescribed medications such as insulin injections. For patients who don’t respond to insulin, doctors may prescribe other medications. For lyrica coupons and a trulicity medication discount, please ask your healthcare professional before searching online.

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