The headache came after just buying two — okay, four — cheesecake brownies from a new nearby bakery. An hour goes by and all you want to do is lie in a dark room and never see any sweet treats. Food for thought: Are sugar hangovers a real thing?
"The sugar hangover is a real phenomenon," Dr. Scott Braunstein, medical director at Solis Health Center, tells Bustle. "The name is a bit misleading, though." While hangovers often occur because your liver and stomach are trying to clear alcohol and its byproducts from your system, sugar hangovers are simpler. Thankfully, sugar doesn't produce toxic byproducts like acetaldehyde, but it does cause some challenges for your body.
"When we talk about a sugar hangover, we're really just talking about the roller coaster ride our blood sugar goes through when we introduce a lot of glucose into the bloodstream," says Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino, a physician at Parsley Health. Tell the hustle. She says eating large amounts of sweets quickly can cause rapid fluctuations in blood sugar, which can affect your brain, energy levels and many other body functions, including the amount of insulin your body produces to process large amounts of sugar.
Insulin is a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar when it gets too high or too low. When you're in peak sugar fever, your insulin secretion goes into overdrive; it signals your liver and muscle cells to start absorbing glucose from the blood, keeping you balanced. A surge of insulin may make you a little grumpy and bring on headaches, fatigue or stomach problems, Dr. Tolentino says. It doesn't last forever; it's just your body absorbing the sugar and restoring balance.
But sugar hangovers can also be quite serious. "In some people who are more susceptible, the body responds to the spike by producing a disproportionate amount of insulin," says Dr. Braunstein. This means you may start to feel symptoms of hypoglycemia, a condition in which your body has too much insulin. More, blood sugar levels plummet. "Symptoms include brain fog, sweating, tremors, irritability and fatigue," he said. He recommends eating more and raising your blood sugar over time until you feel normal again; if this happens frequently or if the feeling persists, talk to your doctor.
There's also a possibility that your sugar hangover isn't just about sugar; It may also be related to lactose. If a slice of creamy cheesecake or a smoothie makes your stomach upset, you may be showing signs of lactose intolerance, a condition in which your digestive system doesn't have enough lactase to process dairy products properly. Lactose intolerance can cause a range of symptoms, including bloating, nausea, gas, abdominal pain and strange stomach gurgling sounds.
If you feel irritable, achy, or sleepy after eating a hearty dessert or a particularly sweet breakfast, there's no need to worry. "You can combat some of these effects by staying hydrated well and making sure your next meal is rich in leafy greens and lean protein," says Dr. Tolentino. However, if you find that you feel confused and shaky after eating too much sugar, you may want to talk to your doctor about your insulin levels and how to regulate them.
expert:
Dr. Scott Braunstein, MD
Jaclyn Tolentino, PhD DO
