More than 29 million people in the US have diabetes—a condition that occurs when your blood sugar is too high—but around a quarter of them don’t even know it, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s bad news. When left unchecked, the condition can lead to serious complications like heart disease, kidney damage, nerve damage, and vision loss.
One of the reasons why so many people end up going untreated is because the symptoms caused by high blood sugar are sneaky. They tend to develop gradually, so you might not realize that you’re sick, says Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of The End of Diabetes. And even when you notice something is off, the signs can be vague, so you might not make the connection to diabetes.
That’s why it’s important to know what to watch for. Check out the seven unexpected signs that your blood sugar levels might be too high!
