Diabetes and fatigue: how to fight it?
One of the most significant symptoms observed in diabetics is extreme fatigue [1,2,3,4,5,6], a feeling that about half of people with diabetes report having already experienced [1,2,4].
However, care should be taken to differentiate acute fatigue from chronic fatigue in order to explain the causes specific to each and decide how best to fight them [2,5].
Why does diabetes make you tired?
Whether it's tiredness or sleepiness, lack of energy or tiredness, many people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes often feel exhausted [1,2,3,4,5,6].
Indeed, diabetes can be accompanied by :
- altered sleep patterns
- weight loss
- sometimes a depressive syndrome
all of which negatively impact quality of life [2,3,4,5,6]. Constantly waking up during the night owing to nocturnal hypoglycemia and the frequent need to urinate, drink, or eat may be partly responsible [2,3,4,6].
Moreover, over the course of a day, the blood glucose level of a person with diabetes fluctuates. With these daily variations, phases of hyper- or hypoglycemia may appear, causing a wide range of symptoms [2,3,4,5]. We refer to these as episodes of “acute” fatigue [2,3,4].
If the feeling of exhaustion persists for more than 6 months, we tend to think of a situation of chronic fatigue [2,3]. This persistent asthenia is correlated with the degradation of certain functions linked to diabetes [2,3,4].
Is there a cure for diabetes-related fatigue?
These situations leading to the development of fatigue can absolutely be corrected!
In order to fight your fatigue, it will be up to you to monitor your blood sugar regularly [2,3,4,5]. Regaining control of your diabetes and regaining a stable glycemic balance, are an effective means of fighting your lack of energy [2,3,4,5].
Adopting a healthy diet is also crucial in combating tiredness [2,3,4,5]. In practice, this involves setting up a daily lifestyle that combines:
- maintaining your healthy weight;
- doing regular physical exercise;
- reducing stressful situations [3,4,5].
Sources
- Maahs DM, West NA, Lawrence JM, Mayer-Davis EJ. Epidemiology of type 1 diabetes. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010 Sep;39(3):481-97.
- Goedendorp MM, et al. Chronic fatigue in type 1 diabetes: highly prevalent but not explained by hyperglycemia or glucose variability. Diabetes Care. 2014.
- Kalra S, Sahay R. Diabetes Fatigue Syndrome. Diabetes Ther. 2018 Aug;9(4):1421-1429.
- Griggs S, Morris NS. Fatigue Among Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Implications for Self-Management: An Integrative Review. Diabetes Educ. 2018 Aug;44(4):325-339.
- Fritschi C, Quinn L. Fatigue in patients with diabetes: a review. J Psychosom Res. 2010 Jul;69(1):33-41.
- Jensen Ø, Bernklev T, Gibbs C, Moe RB, Hofsø D, Jelsness-Jørgensen LP. Fatigue in type 1 diabetes, prevalence, predictors and comparison with the background population. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2018 Sep;143:71-78.
