Today I would like to welcome Erich Y. Schultz, J.D., M.B.A., who will be telling us a little about the diabetes and headaches connection. Here he is!
Unfortunately, there is a strong connection between diabetes and headaches. In fact, diabetics are more likely to suffer from a headache than non-diabetics. No, this does not mean that every time you get a headache you should be worried that you have diabetes. Instead, it only means that a headache is a common symptom of complications arising from poorly controlled diabetes. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens.
What is Diabetes?
There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational. All diabetes types affect how our bodies break-down and process food. When food enters the stomach and intestines, our body converts the food into energy called glucose. Glucose is simply a form of sugar in our blood.
In a non-diabetic, the glucose flows from the blood into our cells, providing the individual cells with the necessary energy to run properly. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, is the substance that facilitates the transfer of the glucose from the blood to the cells.
In a diabetic, this process does not work properly. Insulin is either not produced at all or not enough is produced to process the glucose. Alternatively, the individual cells may be resistant to the insulin, thus the glucose is not transferred. Regardless of the reason, the glucose is not processed and will build up in the blood and/or passes through the body through urination.
The net result is that the body does not get enough energy and dangerous amounts of glucose can build up in the blood causing complications, if not death. All in all, neither situation is good.
Why Diabetes and Headaches?
Headaches tend to be a symptom of a wide variety of underlying maladies. Diabetes is no different. Here is a partial annotated list of possible reasons you may have a headache if you are a diabetic.
- Undiagnosed Diabetes: As many as 60 million Americans may have pre-diabetes or undiagnosed diabetes. A common symptom of diabetes is a headache. As glucose builds up in your blood, a headache is a common symptom that this could be occurring.
- Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia: Too much glucose in your blood is called hyperglycemia, too little is called hypoglycemia. Either way, if you begin to develop one of these two conditions, you can be in serious trouble. A headache is one key warning sign that one of these conditions could be occurring.
- High Blood Pressure: Over time, too much glucose in the blood can cause high blood pressure. A key symptom of high blood pressure is a headache.
- Glaucoma: Over time, too much sugar in the blood can weaken the small blood vessels in the eye. Blood begins to leak into the eye, causing glaucoma. The fluid build-up in the eye can put pressure on the optic nerve… wait for it… causing a headache.
- Occipital Neuropathy: Over time, too much sugar in the blood can damage your nerves. This condition is generally known as neuropathy. One type of neuropathy in diabetics is called Occipital Neuropathy. A key symptom is a headache.
As you can see, the above list is not very uplifting if you have diabetes. Nonetheless, I would like to point out that many, if not all, of these conditions, can be avoided if diabetes is controlled properly. How is proper control achieved?
The three key ways to avoid the headache, and the diabetic complications, is to eat properly, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. If you get these three things right, then you may be able to avoid diabetes all together, or at least avoid or minimize the common complications.
For more information on "all things diabetes" please check out Erich’s site at Diabetes Well Being
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