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Whole-Body Health

Type 2 Diabetes

When there is too much sugar in your blood — a common condition that can be managed well

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

The food you eat turns into sugar in your blood. This sugar is your body's fuel. To use it, your body needs a helper called insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, this system stops working well. Either your body does not make enough insulin, or your body stops listening to it. So the sugar stays in your blood instead of being used. Over time, too much sugar in the blood damages your body.

A simple picture: Think of insulin as a key that opens the door of each cell to let sugar in. In type 2 diabetes, there are too few keys — or the locks have gone stiff. So the sugar is stuck outside, in your blood.

Signs to Watch For

Many people have type 2 diabetes for years without knowing. It often starts quietly. When signs do appear, they may include:

  • Feeling very thirsty all the time
  • Passing urine often, especially at night
  • Feeling very tired
  • Losing weight without trying
  • Blurry eyesight
  • Cuts and sores that heal slowly
  • Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
  • Infections that keep coming back

Because it can be silent, a simple blood test is the only sure way to know. Ask your doctor for one if any of these sound like you.

What Raises Your Chances

  • Family history — diabetes often runs in families
  • Carrying extra weight, especially around the middle
  • Not being very active
  • Getting older
  • High blood pressure or high cholesterol
  • Having had diabetes during pregnancy

Some of these you cannot change, such as your family history. That is not your fault. But others you can work on — and doing so makes a real difference.

Why It Matters

High blood sugar over many years can quietly harm small blood vessels and nerves. This can affect:

Eyes

Can lead to poor sight. Have your eyes checked every year.

Kidneys

Can slowly stop cleaning the blood properly.

Feet and nerves

Numbness means you may not feel a cut. Check your feet daily.

Heart

Raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The good news: keeping your blood sugar closer to normal greatly lowers all of these risks. Care today protects you for years to come.

How Type 2 Diabetes Is Managed

Diabetes care is a team effort between you and your doctor. Health guidelines say your plan should be built around you — your life, your other health conditions, and what matters to you.

Everyday habits

  • Eat well. More vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Fewer sugary drinks, sweets, and fried foods. Watch your portion sizes.
  • Move your body. Aim for about 30 minutes of walking or other activity on most days. Start small and build up.
  • Reach a healthy weight. Even a small loss can improve your blood sugar a lot.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Check your feet every day for cuts, sores, or colour changes.
  • Go to your check-ups. Eyes, feet, kidneys, and blood pressure all need regular checks.

📋 Keeping track of your readings

Writing down your numbers helps you and your doctor see how things are going. Free tracking tools: this blood sugar tracker (or the daily health tracker, if you're also watching blood pressure) is a free, physician-designed option for logging your readings at home.

Medicines

Most people also need medicine. Needing tablets does not mean you have failed — diabetes changes over time, and that is normal. Common options include:

  • Metformin — usually the first tablet given.
  • Newer tablets and injections that lower blood sugar and also protect the heart and kidneys. Some help with weight too.
  • Insulin — given by injection when the body needs extra help. Many people use it safely for years.
Keep taking your medicine as directed. It works quietly to protect you, even when you feel perfectly fine. Never stop or change a dose without speaking to your doctor first.

Watch For Low Blood Sugar

Some diabetes medicines can push blood sugar too low. This is called a "hypo". It can come on quickly. Signs are:

  • Shaking or trembling
  • Sweating, and feeling cold and clammy
  • Feeling dizzy, weak, or very hungry
  • A fast heartbeat
  • Feeling confused, or having trouble thinking clearly

What to do: eat or drink something sugary straight away — for example, a small glass of juice or a few sweets. Then have a proper snack or meal. Tell your doctor it happened, so your medicines can be adjusted. If someone passes out, call for emergency help immediately.

⚠️ When to See Your Family Doctor

Book an appointment if you:

  • Have any of the warning signs listed above
  • Have a family history of diabetes, or are carrying extra weight — ask for a simple blood test
  • Have a cut or sore on your foot that is not healing
  • Are having low blood sugar episodes
  • Notice your eyesight changing

Get help urgently if you feel very unwell, are being sick and cannot keep fluids down, are breathing fast, or feel drowsy and confused.

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References

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. (2026). 9. Pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care, 49(Suppl. 1), S183–S215. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc26-S009

Davies, M. J., Aroda, V. R., Collins, B. S., Gabbay, R. A., Green, J., Maruthur, N. M., … Buse, J. B. (2022). Management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2022: A consensus report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Diabetes Care, 45(11), 2753–2786. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci22-0034

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