Causes of headaches with diabetes

Diabetes causes high levels of blood sugar leading to a host of health problems. These problems can also lead to headache. Studies have also shown the relation between headaches and diabetes. Compared to the general population, diabetics suffer more from headaches.

High blood sugar is the major cause of a diabetic headache, but even low blood sugar caused by diabetes results in headaches. Low blood sugar affects those diabetics who have trouble in controlling the level of insulin in their blood. Some of the other conditions that can cause headache in diabetics are given below.

Problem of headaches with diabetes

• Neuropathy – Diabetes is known to affect the functioning of nerves and even its damage. If such damage occurs in the cranial nerves of the brain, headache can result. When this happens, severe pain is experienced by the patient.
• Stress due to diabetes – After living with diabetes for long, it begins to result in some lifestyle complications, one of which is stress. Fatigue is immediately seen in diabetics due to reduction of blood sugar. Besides, diabetics are more sensitive to stress hormones than others. They show long-term effects of stress much earlier than normal people.
• Glaucoma – Many eye problems can be caused by diabetes, which include glaucoma. It leads to increased and excess fluid in the eye. This excess of fluid puts a lot of strain on the optic nerve and damages it permanently.

• Heart diseases – Several heart diseases have been linked to headaches, and diabetics can develop these.
• Stroke – Risk of stroke increases with diabetes. Severe headaches can result from strokes.
• High blood pressure – All diabetics are under a greater risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) than other people. Headache is a common symptom in such people.

The impact of diabetes on headache depends on its type too. The body’s failure to produce or process insulin triggers a host of health complications of which, headache is a symptom. If you suffer from a headache right after having a meal, it is a tell tale sign of diabetes.

Diabetes is a severe disease but it can be treated and managed. It is necessary for a person who has headaches after having his meal to rule out being diagnosed with diabetes rather than trying to get relief from the headache. The headaches after eating in diabetics indicate the symptom of high blood sugar. High blood sugar causes many problems for the patient, and headache is certainly one of them.

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