A diabetes expert has outlined a red flag sign of the blood sugar condition that can get worse at night.
One of the best-known signs of diabetes – peeing more frequently than usual – is especially common at night. However, this sign can strike in your feet and legs instead.
An Endocrine Specialist, known on TikTok as The Voice of Diabetes, took to the social media to explain what diabetic neuropathy is.
Occurring in your feet and legs, diabetic neuropathy happens when diabetes starts to affect the nerves.
The warning signs of this health problem can range from pain to numbness in your feet and legs.
Speaking in the video, the diabetes specialist said: “If you’re having burning pain, tingling, or numbness to your toes or your feet, you can have what we call diabetic neuropathy.
“Normally, this will start in the toes and gradually it can move up to the calf area.
“It can happen to our hands as well as the disease progresses.”
The expert shared that these symptoms tend to get “worse” when you’re resting, making nights “a problem”.
She said: “Bedtime is normally a problem with diabetic neuropathy because you’re not moving and activity tends to help diabetic neuropathy.”
The diabetes specialist explained that diabetic neuropathy can become very severe, where even the lightest touch to your feet “can become excruciating”.
The good news is that physical activity and blood sugar control can help. The expert said: “Exercise is a very crucial part of the treatment for diabetic neuropathy.
“Also maintaining very tight glycaemic [blood sugar] control is important because we want to prevent and we want to slow the progression of diabetic neuropathy as much as we can.”
However, there are also other treatments available, ranging from antidepressants that can alleviate some of the pain to anti-seizure medications that could reduce some of your symptoms.