Nerves carry messages back and forth between the brain and other parts of the body. All of your nerves together make up the nervous system.

Some nerves tell the brain what is happening in the body. Other nerves tell the body what to do.

Diabetes damage to the nervous system

Having high blood sugar for many years can damage the blood vessels that bring oxygen to some nerves. High blood sugar can also hurt the covering on the nerves. Damaged nerves may stop sending messages. Or they may send messages too slowly or at the wrong times.

Diabetes damage to the peripheral nerves

? Peripheral nerves go to the arms, hands, legs, and feet. Damage to these nerves can make your arms, hands, legs, or feet feel numb. Also, you might not be able to feel pain, heat, or cold when you should. You may feel shooting pains or burning or tingling, like “pins and needles.” These feelings are often worse at night. They can make it hard to sleep. Most of the time these feelings are on both sides of your body, like in both of your feet. But they can be on just one side.

Peripheral nerve damage can change the shape of your feet and cause hammertoes. You can get special shoes that help protect your feet. Talk to your doctor about how and where to get these shoes.

Effects of diabetes damage to the autonomic nerves

? Autonomic nerves help you to know that your blood sugar is low. In some people, take diabetes medicines can accidentally make their blood sugar too low. Damage to the autonomic nerves can make it hard for them to feel the symptoms of hypoglycemia, which is the medical name for low blood sugar.

This kind of damage is more likely to happen if you have had diabetes for a long time. It can also happen if your blood sugar has been too low very often.

? Autonomic nerves go to the stomach, intestines, and other parts of the digestive system. Damage to these nerves can make food pass through the digestive system too slowly or too quickly. Nerve problems can cause nausea (feeling sick in the stomach), vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea.

Nerve damage to the stomach is called gastroparesis. When nerves to the stomach are damaged, the muscles of the stomach do not work well and food may stay in the stomach for too long. Gastroparesis makes it hard to keep blood sugar under control.

? Autonomic nerves go to the penis.
? Damage to these nerves can prevent a man’s penis from getting firm. This condition is called impotence. Many men who have had diabetes for many years experience impotence.

? Autonomic nerves go to the vagina.
? Damage to these nerves causes vaginal dryness. A woman might also have less feeling around her vagina.

? Autonomic nerves go to the heart.
? Damage to these nerves might make your heart beat faster or at different speeds.

? Autonomic nerves go to the bladder.
? Damage to these nerves makes it hard to know when you need to go to the bathroom. The damage can also make it hard to feel when your bladder is empty. Both problems can cause you to hold urine for too long, which can lead to bladder infections. Another problem can be leaking drops of urine accidentally.

? Autonomic nerves go to the blood vessels that keep your blood pressure steady. Damage to these nerves makes your blood pressure drop when you change from a lying down position to a standing position or when you exercise a lot. The sudden changes in blood pressure can make you dizzy.

Diabetes damage to the cranial nerves

Cranial nerves go to the eye muscles.
? Damage to these nerves usually happens in one eye, and you can have double vision. This problem happens all of a sudden and usually lasts for a short time. Your doctor might ask you to wear an eye patch on one eye for a while.

Cranial nerves go to the side of the face.
? Damage to these nerves usually happens on only one side of the face. This nerve damage causes that particular side of the face to hang lower ro sag. Usually the lower eyelid and lips sag. This problem is called Bell’s palsy. It happens all of a sudden and tends to correct itself.

Seeking help

If you have one or more of the problems mentioned above, you may have some nerve damage from diabetes. Tell your doctor about the problem. Ask your doctor what you can do to make the situation better and to stop it from getting worse.