From our previous blog on frequent urination caused by Diabetes, you have gotten to know more about what leads to this condition and what are the key causes and challenges of it. We will further look at how high blood sugar causes frequent urination and thirst in those with Type 2 Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes and Frequent Urination - Overview
Feeling thirsty and having a dry mouth are some of the most common symptoms of Diabetes. Excess glucose present in the blood leads to the kidneys not being able to handle all of it. The kidneys then have to flush some out of the blood and into the urine. This leads to more urine production and increased urinary frequency and urgency. This condition is known as polyuria. Some people may have to get up every couple of hours during the night to urinate and they end up urinating more urine when they do go. The presence of excess glucose can also cause the urine to have a sweet smell. This is the case with advanced cases of Type 2 Diabetes.
Thirst and a dry mouth could also be signs of some other condition. Hence it is important to get diagnosed as soon as possible to reduce complications. Polydipsia is the medical term for excessive thirst caused by diabetes. It is a common symptom of diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mellitus includes both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. High blood sugar leads to this condition. When you have Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that aids in the transport of blood sugar to your cells. With Type 2 Diabetes, your body is unable to create enough insulin or use it well. This ends up affecting your kidney, as we know from the previous blog. On the other hand, Diabetes insipidus does not affect your blood sugar levels but only the kidney. This leads to frequent urination.
Type 2 diabetes is mainly the result of two interrelated problems:
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The cells in the muscle, fat and liver become resistant to insulin. Since these cells do not interact with insulin in a consistent manner, they do not metabolise enough sugar.
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The pancreas becomes unable to produce enough insulin to manage the blood sugar levels.
The exact explanation for this is uncertain, however being overweight and inactive are significant contributing factors.
Both frequent urination and high blood sugar can cause extreme thirst, but both are harmful to the cause. With Type 2 Diabetes, when your body doesn’t have enough insulin, excess sugar builds up in your blood. Since insulin helps your body consume sugar for energy, you will also be low on energy if you have Diabetes. This is one of the effects of Diabetes. Your kidneys come to the aid in this situation. They function harder than usual to absorb and filter the excess sugar. During this process, some sugar may be excreted through your urine. Meanwhile, it extracts some fluids from your tissue as well. These fluids are necessary for keeping your body hydrated. This leaves you dehydrated and thirsty.
Type 2 Diabetes-led Frequent Urination Challenges - Key Causes, Symptoms, and Risk Factors to Watch Out For
Frequent urination and excessive thirst not only disrupt daily living, but they also pose a severe health risk. As we know the key cause is the absence of insulin and overworking of the kidney. The risk factors should be looked out for before it becomes life-threatening.
One of the major challenges faced due to frequent urination is dehydration. Prolonged dehydration can lead to nausea, dizziness, headaches, and fainting. It also makes you pee less which prevents the body from getting rid of the excess blood sugar through urine. This increases your blood sugar levels. As we know, high blood sugar levels cause further complications. This is one of the causes of frequent urination.
The above challenge leads to uncontrolled high blood sugar which in turn puts your whole body at risk. Managing diabetes includes lowering your risk of complications such as:
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Heart disease and stroke
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Nerve damage
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Kidney disease
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Eye disease
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Sexual and bladder problems
If your excessive thirst is triggered by Diabetes, getting it under control will help with relief. This starts with a diagnosis and a Diabetes treatment plan.
Medicines to control blood sugar are detrimental in the process of coping with the above challenges. Different types of Diabetes require different treatments. In Type 2, you may need to add medicines to your regime if diet and exercise aren’t working. Type 2 Diabetes medicines include insulin and metformin, to name a few.
Surgery could be another option if other methods seem to be less effective. It may also prevent being obese. Staying fit will help cope with the effects of diabetes.
Lifestyle changes are another important factor to get on the path of recovery. Eating healthy and exercising every day can help with this.
To cope with dry mouth relief, short term coping methods like sugar free candy, cutting off caffeine, sipping water, avoiding medicines that dehydrate you, using saliva substitutes and cutting off on tobacco use may help.
We would also recommend the use of Friends Adult Dry Pants, which can help manage frequent urination, especially at night. As the malfunction in levels of glucose affects levels of energy it is very important that sufferers sleep well at night. Frequent urination issues cause patients and caregivers to wake up consistently. This leads to exhaustion, irritability, cardiac issues, weight gain and in some cases—even death from falling down at night. Friends Diapers can help arrest such issues and eliminate the need to wake up every so often. Our Overnight diapers are customised to absorb liquids for up to 16 hours, are soft, anti-bacterial and come with odour lock technology. Using diapers can help regulate life and work on things that still matter.
It's also critical to maintain hope and keep persevering. Any condition can be managed as long as you keep following the treatment plan, eat healthy and stay fit.
