The trucking way of life demands long hours on the road and exposes the commercial or owner operator truck driver to the high-fat/low-fiber food common to many trucking diners. This lifestyle makes it all too easy to eat unhealthy food, get no exercise, and gain excess weight around the waist. Years of living this way can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Before getting full-blown diabetes, people become pre-diabetic. This means their blood sugar level is higher than normal but hasn’t reached the levels typical of type 2 diabetes. Early detection of pre-diabetes along with healthy lifestyle changes improve the commercial or owner operator truck driver’s chances of avoiding this disease. Here are four symptoms of pre-diabetes:
- Deteriorating vision. When focusing, the lenses in your eyes change their shape. Extreme blood sugar changes interfere with lens function, which causes blurred vision. Unlike the gradual loss of visual acuity associated with normal aging, pre-diabetic vision problems happen more rapidly.
- Color changes in your skin. Darkened skin on the back of the neck, armpits, inside the elbows, and on the groin are symptoms of high insulin levels.
- Cuts and bruises take longer to heal. High blood sugar hardens the blood vessels. This reduces blood flow, especially to the legs and feet, which in turn reduces wound-healing.
- Sudden weight changes. Low blood glucose deprives the body of energy, which causes it to metabolize your body tissues and cause weight loss. On the other hand, high insulin levels cause intense hunger, which will make you eat more and gain weight. Gaining or losing weight depends on which of the two conditions predominates.
If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor and follow his or her advice, including lifestyle changes. The sooner your condition is diagnosed, the better your prospects of avoiding type 2 diabetes.
For more trucking advice and information on commercial or owner operator truck insurance in North Carolina, J.E.B. Insurance Services can help. Contact us today.
