Are chills a symptom of diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that affects millions of people globally. It has various symptoms, and some can be very subtle while others can be downright severe. One symptom that some people may experience but not know about is chills.

Chills are often associated with having the flu or coming down with an infection, but they can also be related to diabetes. This article will explore what causes chills in patients with diabetes and whether it’s something you should worry about.

What Are Chills?

First things first, let’s define what we mean by chills. The technical term for this is ‘rigors’, which is used to describe when your body shakes uncontrollably due to contracting muscles generating heat. It’s similar to shivering due to cold temperatures except it occurs from within the body; rigors are involuntary movements caused by muscular contractions during fever episodes (Thornton et al., 2019).

If ever you’ve had a bad case of food poisoning or gotten the flu, then you have experienced chills before – those moments where nothing seems warm enough, no blanket thick enough; everything just feels chilly!

Why Do People With Diabetes Get Chills?

People living with chronic conditions such as diabetes need extra care as certain health issues do occur because their bodies don’t produce insulin properly (Type I) or cannot process insulin effectively (Type II).

Diabetics may notice they get more frequent bouts of extremity chilliness regardless if they’re exposed to cold environments or not: technically speaking these would still qualify under rigor category events.

There could be several explanations why someone could feel colder than usual attributed potentially uncontrolled fluctuations in blood sugar levels, impeding proper blood flow reaching peripheral organs e.g fingers/ feet (Vermeire & Yeaw, 2006.)

While many factors impact one’s internal climate control mechanisms here are some reasons why diabetic blood sugar fluctuations, if not well managed, can impact patients:

Blood Sugar Levels

If one’s blood sugars become too high, it could trigger the onset of chills due to several reasons.

When sugars in the bloodstream aren’t processed promptly or adequately (such as when people have fluctuating insulin levels), glucose builds up and leads to a surplus that could convert into ethanol. This overproduction of harmful alcohol would act like a poison causing someone with diabetes to feel unwell.

Conversely, low blood sugars for an individual with type 1 diabetes may cause intense shivering indicating hypoglycemia (Daira, M., Sanober & Salamah [2019]).

It might be helpful to note just because you feel jittery or cold doesn’t mean that every time this will be directly attributed 100% towards diabetes; sometimes what feels chilly is brought on by other factors like staying indoors for prolonged periods using AC systems functioning at very new temperatures.

Peripheral Neuropathy

Another reason why some diabetic individuals struggle more than others maintaining body temperature within normal levels relates to nerves’ impairments; nerve damage caused by poor glycemic control results in peripheral neuropathy – which signals nerves involved in detecting external stimuli don’t send proper messages causing abnormal feedback loops e.g perceives non painful sensations as quite intolerable leading increased sensation of feeling cold (Cameron et al., 2008).

When Should You Worry About Chills?

Chills can happen from time to time during seasonal changes and are often remedied through simple efforts such as wearing warmer clothing items. However persistent rigor episodes should prompt consultation with your doctor.

Patients living with any underlying health issues especially Diabetes need gentle monitoring strategies geared toward early detection and prevention hence urgent medical attention is advisable if experiencing any further related symptoms including feverishness/joint soreness accompanied by general malaise/ fatigue(Miranda-Massari et al., 2014).

How Can You Prevent Chills?

Prevention is much preferable to feel easier than living with suspicious anticipatory dread waiting for the next shivering bout. Here are some tips and tricks that could help keep chills at bay:

Keep Your Blood Sugar Levels Stable

The current reality of a diabetic person’s life generally revolves around monitoring blood glucose levels – this plays an enormous role in leading healthier, longer lives ultimately.

Consistently maintaining stable sugar ranges can significantly reduce how often chills will take over you on the worst days imaginable!

Layer Up With Clothing

Dressing appropriately during cooler seasons or staying indoors exposed to air conditioning mechanisms may seem such annoying trouble – A few extra layer items worn beneath coats/ jackets could serve as very efficient insulation to prevent quick heat loss.

Layering doesn’t have to involve wearing multiple sweatshirts underneath skirts/pants, investing in thermal underwear shirts meant specifically for cooler weather climates can go a long way in keeping feeling cozy comfortable warmth all season long! (Hansdottir & Hammar, 2020.)

Keep Your Feet Warm

Feet play crucial roles contributing directly towards whole body temperature regulation. The foot condition of most diabetics has extensive peripheral vascular disorders which contribute largely towards experiencing persistent stale clammy feet despite dry sock changes consistently (Jawerth et al.,2009).

It would be advisable always wearing warm socks and shoes fitting correctly regardless of immediate surrounding climates since having cold extremities does travel far up causing who knows what later potential terrible sudden fever episodes?!

Conclusion

In summary, chills are not uncommon symptoms experienced by people living with diabetes; they’re typically caused by fluctuations in blood sugar levels or nerve damage resulting from poor glycemic control.
Proper treatment strategies employed along consistent management patterns plus enhanced care throughout lifestyles adopted alongside following regular medical check-ins equate less involvement ratification of diabetes complications into serious fever bouts.

Next time you break out into an unexpected shivering sweat, remember it might be your body’s way of alerting you to something that needs medical attention – your wisest move would rather not minding checking with a medic!

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