Diabetes is a common condition that affects more than four million people in the UK, and 90 percent of all cases are caused by type 2 diabetes. Gastroparesis is a symptom of high blood sugar, what is it?
Over time, diabetes can affect many parts of your body. One of those is the vagus nerve, which controls how quickly your stomach empties, said WebMD.
The health site continued: “When it’s damaged, your digestion slows down and food stays in your body longer than it should.
“This is a condition called gastroparesis.
“It can make you feel queasy and vomit. It’s also bad for your blood sugar levels.”
READ MORE: Type 2 diabetes warning: Calorie-free drinks could raise your risk – what you need to know
Symptoms of gastroparesis:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- An early feeling of fullness during food consumption
- Weight loss
- Bloating in the abdominal region
- Abdominal discomfort
Patients eat or drink barium, or perhaps consume food with a radioactive substance which will show up on a scan, said Diabetes UK.
The site added: “The doctor will then be able to see if gastroparesis is affecting you. Further tests may include a tube-scope to measure electrical and muscular stomach activity.
“Like most complications of diabetes, the first thing is to get your blood glucose levels under control. Doctors may instantly adjust insulin levels and provide you with medication.
“Your diet may also need to be changed, including portions and meal frequency.”
How to naturally lower blood sugar levels
Exercise is one of the best ways to help to lower blood sugar and walking is a good way of achieving this.
It might make sense that exercising harder would have a better effect on lowering blood sugar therefore, but this is not always the case as strenuous exercise can produce a stress response which causes the body to raise blood glucose levels. This response does tend to vary from person.
Drinking more water is another proven and natural way to lower levels.
When your blood sugar levels are running high, your body will try to flush excess sugar out of your blood through the urine.
As a result, your body will need more fluids to rehydrate itself.
Drinking water can help the body with flushing out some of the glucose in the blood.
