Have you ever eaten sugar and then your head hurt? Normally, this happens shortly after drinking something sweet and, in addition, dizziness may also occur. While it is true that not all people happen to them and when the amount of sugar that causes it happens can be different in each person who suffers it, it has been shown that there is a relationship between hyperglycemia or high blood sugar and headaches and migraines.
Why eating sugar gives a headache
If you have ever wondered why my head hurts when I eat chocolate, ice cream or candy in general, you will be interested to know that, although a few decades ago the relationship was not very clear, it is currently known that there is a headache for having high sugar or hyperglycemia, in fact depending on the situation there may be slight pain, headaches or even migraines, lasting hours or a few days, and there may also be dizziness.
What exactly happens is that when eating sugar, which is simple carbohydrate, the blood glucose level rises, but if the body cannot perform the necessary processes to use this glucose, it stays in excess in the blood producing hyperglycemia or high blood glucose level and various related problems, including dizziness and headache.
Specifically, the headache occurs because excess blood glucose causes the red blood cells or red blood cells to release some of the water they contain to compensate for the situation and dilute the hypertonic plasma, i.e. loaded with glucose, and help return to the state normal. This results in dehydration of the cells, poor circulation and lack of oxygen in the cells. It is especially noticeable in the head because cranial arteries are especially sensitive to blood saturation.
Therefore, this problem has several basic causes, so it can occur in people who have:
- Diabetes
- Insulin resistance.
- With other problems in the pancreas and liver.
- A usual diet with few sugars.
- Someone who eats a lot of sugars once, without having any of the above situations.
How to remove the headache by eating sugar
If you are one of the people who have a headache after eating sugar, the first thing you need is to know what the exact cause is in your case. Thus, the first thing will be that the doctor tells you if you are diabetic or resistant to insulin or you are not and, if so, you will need to follow the treatment that you indicate and stop eating sweets and sugar as you did until now, reducing it to the guidelines that the specialist gives you. It is important to make clear that people who suffer from these diseases should not stop eating sugar or carbohydrates completely, as it is a common mistake and that it only leads to hypoglycemia and other problems, but they have to learn to manage glucose levels and blood insulin
On the other hand, it will be different if the headache is due to eating too much sugar or, if it is because you usually eat a small amount or only complex carbohydrates and one day you eat more quantity or simple carbohydrates, which are those that are converted from faster blood glucose and therefore accumulate more easily. In these cases, what should be done is to be aware that this happens to you, especially if it has happened to you several times, and avoid eating too much at one time of foods with high levels of simple carbohydrates.
If you thought you had to quit sugar because it causes a headache, remember that it’s not about quitting at all. You should not stop eating sugars and other carbohydrates, but you will have to minimize the simple and basically eat the complexes. Therefore, forget about eating industrial pastries, cakes, pies, soda and other foods with lots of simple carbohydrates.
Anyway, the best way to do it is with the help of an endocrine, who is the specialist who will know if your hormone production is correct, there is a problem or if you simply need more than one type of nutrient or another and can help you to have the most adequate food for you.
How to quickly remove the headache by eating sweet
The aforementioned implies changing habits, so it is a long-term solution and not to solve the problem or discomfort at the moment, that is to say in full crisis.
In that case, if it just happened to you and you want to improve you will have to think about the cause again. If you are diabetic use insulin in the necessary dose, but if it has been in excess and you do not have problems of production and assimilation of insulin, then it is best to help your body burn the excess accumulated glucose. Even if your head hurts, do some gentle exercise, such as walking. If the pains become strong headaches or migraines, in this case it is best to rest in low light or without and try to sleep.
Foods that give a headache
As a summary, the foods that usually give a headache and, especially if you have already noticed that some cause this effect, you should avoid or reduce as much as possible in the usual diet are:
- Sugar and sweeteners, whether white sugar, brown, saccharin, aspartame, stevia, etc.
- White flour
- Fermented dairy.
- Cheeses of long healing.
- Sausages
- Precooked and packaged food.
- Industrial pastries
- Cakes and pies.
- Refreshments
- Candies or goodies.
- Alcohol
- Caffeine and theine.
