Stress and sugar craving

Not only does stress negatively affect our health, but it also affects our sugar cravings. Many people start eating greater portions of sugary stuff when they are under stress or have anxiety. However, have you ever thought about why this happens?

The Link Between Stress and Sugar Cravings

According to research, there is a deep correlation between stress and sugar cravings. Whenever a person is under stress, his brain activity increases. His brain starts producing a bulk of cortisol, which is a potent stress hormone. The brain and this hormone start affecting the other parts of the body and hinders your mental performance. You must know that our brain feeds only on the sugar we intake. In the brain's increased activity, sugar intake increases because the brain needs sugar to continue working. As a result, a person is suddenly urged to have some sweet stuff.

When stress is chronic, a person may face an increased level of sugar cravings. In such a situation, unhealthy and excessive sugar intake harms your body in numerous ways. The most common side effect of increased sugar cravings is obesity or weight gain. Therefore, managing your stress to control your sugar cravings becomes crucial.

Hunger vs. Sugar Cravings

All of us need to understand the difference between hunger and sugar cravings. Hunger is the appetite when your body needs food to perform its duties. In contrast, cravings are just the desires of the brain/body even when you are not hungry or your body doesn't require food. If you are not hungry, you should not eat because it would only have adverse health impacts on you.

Tips for managing sugar cravings

Instead of giving in whenever you crave sugar, try to manage your sugar cravings. This is especially important when you have frequent attacks of stress or anxiety. Here are some efficient, helpful, and simple techniques that can significantly help you manage your sugar cravings, especially under pressure.

• Learn the difference between hunger and cravings.

Learning the difference between hunger and craving is essential. You must know when it is time to fuel up your body through food or when you should avoid eating. You can better manage your sugar cravings when you see the difference between these two.

• Change your eating schedule.

It has been seen that our body desires food when we are used to eating. Similarly, your body and brain know when it is time for sugar intake. Your brain starts sending signals to eat something sweet because it is the time for sweet intake. To help yourself in staying safe from this, change your eating schedule. For example, if you have been having dinner at 7 pm, start having it at 6 pm or 8 pm, and don't complement it with sugar. This way, you can control your sugar cravings at certain times.

• Don't starve yourself but keep yourself fulfilled.

To manage your sugar cravings, it is essential to keep yourself fulfilled. Most of the time, we start having sugar cravings when we are already hungry. This would help you combat stress and sugar intake because you would already be full. Especially, make it a habit to eat healthy fruits and vegetables whenever you are stressed. Doing so will help control your sugar cravings and protect your well-being.

• Never completely cut off your sugar intake.

A big mistake many people make is completely cutting off their sugar intake. This practice would result in significantly increasing sugar cravings. Human nature attracts us the most whenever we are asked to avoid something. Therefore, keep eating the sugary stuff that is the lowest proportion and not daily.

• Keep healthy sugar meals handy.

Ultimately, stress leads us to eat highly unhealthy and highly sugary food items such as cakes, muffins, cold drinks, chocolates, and other sweets. Instead of eating these harmful things whenever you crave sugar, keep some healthier alternatives nearby. For example, consider buying fresh fruits, frozen yogurt, and homemade ice cream with low sugar content and eating any of these things whenever you feel stressed and have sugar cravings. They won't only fulfill your craving but also avoid harming your well-being.

Final Verdict

Stress has a negative impact on your sugar cravings, and it makes them worse. Due to stress, a person goes through an increase in sugar cravings that ultimately leave many adverse health effects. Therefore, the above tactics are vital to managing stress and sugar cravings. You can protect your mental health and well-being by learning to manage your sugar cravings.