Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Fatigue?Is It a Symptom of Diabetes?Treatment & ManagementWhen to Seek Medical CareFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Fatigue?
Is It a Symptom of Diabetes?
Treatment & Management
When to Seek Medical Care
Frequently Asked Questions
You may feel tired due to many health conditions, includingdiabetes. Both mental and physical aspects of diabetes can cause fatigue.
This article will explore what fatigue looks like and why it might happen in a person with diabetes.
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Fatigue is more than sleepiness, an occasional lack of energy, or an uncontrollable need to sleep. When you have fatigue, it may appear as an overwhelming lack of physical and emotional energy or motivation. This lack of energy can often affect your ability to carry out daily tasks.
Commonsymptoms of fatigueinclude:
For some people, fatigue can also cause headaches, mood changes, or even slowed mental or physical responses. There are many causes of fatigue, including medical issues, lifestyle changes, and stress.
Medical Issues
Some medical issues that can lead to problems with fatigue include:
Lifestyle Causes
Aside from medical conditions, many factors in your daily life can cause or contribute to fatigue. These include:
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Stress and Other Conditions
Fatigue can be a symptom of anxiety and depression or other mental health conditions. It can also be a result ofstress, which can impact the body in countless ways. Common stressors include:
Reasons for Fatigue and Constant Tiredness
Is Fatigue a Symptom of Diabetes?
Several conditions, including diabetes, can cause fatigue. Fatigue is one of the more common symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes—even if you’ve achieved control of your blood glucose level.
Other contributors to fatigue in people with diabetes have more to do with lifestyle than physical factors.Managing diabetes—in terms of lifestyle and mental and emotional health—can take a significant toll.Living with diabetescan increasestressand fatigue and requires many diet and lifestyle changes that can be difficult to cope with.
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Treatments and Management of Fatigue
There are a few things you can do to combat diabetes-related fatigue. The first is to take care of your overall health and control your blood sugar levels. This can include:
Additional behavioral therapies that can help combat fatigue include:
If fatigue persists, talk to your healthcare provider about medications that may offer some relief. Prescription medications to treat stress or depression have been effective for some people with diabetes-related fatigue.
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
It’s always a good idea to have regular follow-up care with your healthcare provider to discuss ongoing treatment andprevent complications. In some cases, fatigue may result from a more severediabetes complication, such asdiabeticketoacidosis(DKA). DKA is a serious complication that can lead to excessively high blood sugar.
If you enter a state of DKA, sugar cannot enter your cells and provide energy, so your liver starts to break down stored fat to use for energy. This process releases a chemical calledketonesinto your body, and too much of this chemical, released too quickly, can causesymptomssuch as:
DKA can occur if you have diabetes and you’ve been sick or have missed doses of your diabetes medications; it may require hospitalization. Talk to your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your overall condition or if you see high blood glucose readings at home.
If you have diabetes and become dizzy, light-headed, confused, or lose consciousness, you should seek immediate medical treatment.
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Summary
Fatigue is a common symptom of diabetes, but it can also occur with many other medical conditions. Talk to your healthcare provider if your fatigue affects your daily activities or appears alongside a diagnosed medical condition.
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A Word From Verywell
Living with chronic diseases, like diabetes, can be challenging and exhausting. Poor blood sugar control and other diabetes complications can also increase your fatigue. If you have diabetes and have trouble carrying out daily tasks due to fatigue, speak to your healthcare provider about treatments, medications, and lifestyle changes that can help.
Frequently Asked QuestionsDiabetes takes a physical and mental toll on your body. Blood sugar plays an essential role in your body’s metabolism and energy production, and an imbalance in your blood glucose can have body-wide fallout.Learn MoreDoes High Blood Sugar Make You Tired?Reducing stress, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and controlling blood glucose are all things that can help boost your energy level if you have diabetes.Learn MoreManaging and Preventing Complications of DiabetesBlood glucose levels directly affect your energy level and how you feel. If you feel particularly tired or unwell after eating, talk to the healthcare provider about checking your blood glucose level. Changes may need to be made to your treatment regimen.Learn MoreNormal Blood Sugar Levels for Adults, Children, Pregnant People
Diabetes takes a physical and mental toll on your body. Blood sugar plays an essential role in your body’s metabolism and energy production, and an imbalance in your blood glucose can have body-wide fallout.Learn MoreDoes High Blood Sugar Make You Tired?
Diabetes takes a physical and mental toll on your body. Blood sugar plays an essential role in your body’s metabolism and energy production, and an imbalance in your blood glucose can have body-wide fallout.
Learn MoreDoes High Blood Sugar Make You Tired?
Reducing stress, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and controlling blood glucose are all things that can help boost your energy level if you have diabetes.Learn MoreManaging and Preventing Complications of Diabetes
Reducing stress, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and controlling blood glucose are all things that can help boost your energy level if you have diabetes.
Learn MoreManaging and Preventing Complications of Diabetes
Blood glucose levels directly affect your energy level and how you feel. If you feel particularly tired or unwell after eating, talk to the healthcare provider about checking your blood glucose level. Changes may need to be made to your treatment regimen.Learn MoreNormal Blood Sugar Levels for Adults, Children, Pregnant People
Blood glucose levels directly affect your energy level and how you feel. If you feel particularly tired or unwell after eating, talk to the healthcare provider about checking your blood glucose level. Changes may need to be made to your treatment regimen.
Learn MoreNormal Blood Sugar Levels for Adults, Children, Pregnant People
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kalra S, Sahay R.Diabetes fatigue syndrome.Diabetes Ther. 2018;9(4):1421-1429. doi:10.1007/s13300-018-0453-xThe Diabetes Council.Diabetes and fatigue: everything you need to know.Hidayat BF, Sukartini T, Kusumaningrum T.A systematic review of fatigue in type 2 diabetes.Jurnal Ners. 2020;15(2). doi:10.20473/jn.v15i1Sp.20520Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kalra S, Sahay R.Diabetes fatigue syndrome.Diabetes Ther. 2018;9(4):1421-1429. doi:10.1007/s13300-018-0453-xThe Diabetes Council.Diabetes and fatigue: everything you need to know.Hidayat BF, Sukartini T, Kusumaningrum T.A systematic review of fatigue in type 2 diabetes.Jurnal Ners. 2020;15(2). doi:10.20473/jn.v15i1Sp.20520Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kalra S, Sahay R.Diabetes fatigue syndrome.Diabetes Ther. 2018;9(4):1421-1429. doi:10.1007/s13300-018-0453-xThe Diabetes Council.Diabetes and fatigue: everything you need to know.Hidayat BF, Sukartini T, Kusumaningrum T.A systematic review of fatigue in type 2 diabetes.Jurnal Ners. 2020;15(2). doi:10.20473/jn.v15i1Sp.20520Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
Kalra S, Sahay R.Diabetes fatigue syndrome.Diabetes Ther. 2018;9(4):1421-1429. doi:10.1007/s13300-018-0453-x
The Diabetes Council.Diabetes and fatigue: everything you need to know.
Hidayat BF, Sukartini T, Kusumaningrum T.A systematic review of fatigue in type 2 diabetes.Jurnal Ners. 2020;15(2). doi:10.20473/jn.v15i1Sp.20520
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetic ketoacidosis.
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