14. You may experience numbness or pain in your extremities
Poor circulation affects your hands and fingers more than any other body parts. When you have too much sugar in your blood, it thickens and moves more slowly. That, coupled with the damage that high blood sugar levels cause to the blood vessels, compromises your circulatory system. Blood vessels narrow from the inflammation which makes it even harder for the thickened blood to move.
Blood is not moving to and from the hands and feet as normal anymore. You’ll experience symptoms such as cold or numb hands and feet, brittle nails, dry or cracked skin, and hair loss on the feet. For paler-skinned people, you will notice a blue tint to your hands and feet.
The consequences of numbness in the extremities due to high blood sugar levels can be dire. You could get a small cut or scratch on your foot and not even be aware of it. The fact that your immune system may be deficient due to the high blood sugar levels means that healing will be delayed or won’t occur at all. The lack of circulation makes it difficult for the immune system to even respond to the injury.
An infection may take hold. Fungal infections can lead to gangrene. So, can necrosis, which is the premature death of the cells due to a lack of blood. If gangrene is not treated early, it can result in amputation to prevent it from spreading. In addition to various other health benefits, exercise lowers the blood sugar levels. This allows blood to move more easily to the extremities. The fact that your heart rate increases during exercise stimulate your circulation system as well.