Chronic deficiency of B1, B9, and B12 vitamins — extremely common in diabetic patients — triggers an uncontrolled increase in MMP-13 enzyme activity.
MMP-13 degrades the myelin sheath — the protective layer that surrounds and insulates your nerve fibers. Think of it like the plastic coating on an electrical wire.
When that coating wears away, the wire doesn’t work properly — it short-circuits. It sends the wrong signals. It fires when it shouldn’t.
At night, circulation drops and competing signals disappear — leaving those exposed nerve fibers sending their distorted signals into silence. There is nothing to compete with them.
If you answer yes to three or more of the following questions, your neuropathy may still be in a stage where intervention can make a meaningful difference: