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Doctors Explain Why Sugar Can Make You Literally Feel Hungover
www.bustle.com ^ | Aug. 25, 2020 | By JR Thorpe

Posted on 09/15/2020 7:57:19 AM PDT by Red Badger

Why brownies or a big açai bowl can make you feel like you’ve been out partying.

After just two — OK, four — cheesecake brownies from your newly reopened neighborhood bakery, the headache hits. It's an hour later, and you just want to lie down in a dark room and never see another sugary treat again. It's worth wondering: Are sugar hangovers an actual thing?

"Sugar hangovers are a real phenomenon," Dr. Scott Braunstein M.D., medical director for Sollis Health, tells Bustle. "However, the name is slightly misleading." Regular hangovers happen because your liver and stomach are attempting to clear alcohol and its byproducts from your system, while sugar hangovers are a bit simpler. Sugar doesn't produce toxic byproducts like acetaldehyde, thank goodness, but it does pose a bit of a challenge for your body. More like this A woman applies a facemask while hungover. How does a hangover affect your body? Doctors have answers. 8 Things That Happen To Your Body When You're Hungover By Lara Rutherford-Morrison and JR Thorpe A woman holds persimmons. Vitamin C is marketed as a booster for the immune system, but it doesn't help as much as you think. 5 Myths About "Boosting" Your Immune System, Debunked By Doctors By JR Thorpe A woman in a field of fall leaves. When do seasonal affective disorder symptoms start showing up? You might feel sad as soon as it gets darker. This Is Why You Might Be Feeling SAD Symptoms Already By JR Thorpe A doctor holds a coronavirus testing swab. Reinfection with COVID-19 has been confirmed for the first time. Doctors Explain Why You Shouldn’t Freak Out About COVID-19 Reinfection By JR Thorpe

"When we're talking about a sugar hangover, we're really just talking about the rollercoaster ride our blood sugar takes when we introduce a lot of glucose into the bloodstream," Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino, D.O., a physician at Parsley Health, tells Bustle. Eating a lot of sweet things quickly, she says, causes rapid fluctuations in your blood sugar, which affects your brain, energy levels, and a lot of other bodily functions, including the amount of insulin your body produces to process that flood of sugar.

Insulin is a hormone that's responsible for regulating your blood sugar whenever it gets too high or too low. When you're in the throes of a sugar rush, your insulin production goes into overdrive; it signals your liver and muscle cells to start absorbing glucose from the blood, to level you out. That surge of insulin may make you a bit crabby, and bring on headaches, fatigue, or stomach issues, Dr. Tolentino says. It won't last forever; it's just your body absorbing your sugar hit, and getting back its equilibrium.

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," Dr. Braunsteins says. That means you might start feeling the symptoms of hypoglycemia, where there's too much insulin in the body and your blood glucose levels plummet. "The symptoms are brain fog, sweating, tremors, irritability, and fatigue," he says. He suggests eating a little more sugar to raise your blood sugar over time, until you feel normal again; if this happens a lot, or if the feeling persists, consult your doctor.

There's also the possibility that your sugar hangover isn't just about sugar; it could also be about lactose. If a slice of creamy cheesecake or a smoothie give you stomach weirdness, you could be showing signs of lactose intolerance, where your digestive system hasn't got enough of the lactase enzyme to properly process dairy. Lactose intolerance can cause a range of symptoms, including bloating, nausea, gas, abdominal pain, and weird stomach growling noises.

If you end up feeling irritable, achy, or sleepy after a big dessert or extra-sweet breakfast, it's nothing to worry about. "You can combat some of those effects by hydrating well, and making sure your next meal is rich in leafy greens and lean protein," Dr. Tolentino says. If you find that you get confused and trembly after too much sugar, though, you might want to talk to your doctor about your insulin levels and how to regulate them.

Experts:

Dr. Scott Braunstein M.D.

Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino D.O.


TOPICS: Education; Food; Gardening; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: diabetes; food; insulin; sugar

1 posted on 09/15/2020 7:57:19 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

I’ve gone on a pretty much all meat and vegetable diet. Milk and dairy too, but pretty much only as snacks by themselves.

Feel much better and losing weight.

Also take vitamins. A surprising new addition is Borax - clears up my sinuses immediately and feels like its lowering my blood pressure.

Coconut oil is amazing for energy.


2 posted on 09/15/2020 8:00:53 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: Mr. K
IT'S ALSO GOOD FOR YOUR LAUNDRY!.............
3 posted on 09/15/2020 8:03:45 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................very............)
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To: Red Badger

“IT’S ALSO GOOD FOR YOUR LAUNDRY!.............”

And it makes for decent fireproofing in children’s clothes, too. Only problem is that it washes right out.


4 posted on 09/15/2020 8:13:47 AM PDT by Quality_Not_Quantity (This space vacant until further notice in compliance with social distancing 'guidelines')
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To: Red Badger

I never eat sweets before bedtime because I’ll definitely wake up with a “hangover” headache.


5 posted on 09/15/2020 8:54:15 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Mr. K
I know I'm not the only one that had a Borax Mule Team model as a kid...


6 posted on 09/15/2020 8:59:47 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Red Badger

7 posted on 09/15/2020 9:01:28 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Red Badger

what makes the alcohol in beer wine and liquor is sugar. the high and low from sugar and alcohol is the same. only difference is degree. the path from the liver to the brain is the same.

sugar and alcohol are the great killers of people on western diets. that includes everything from brain, heart and liver disease


8 posted on 09/15/2020 11:54:34 AM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

I’m 65 and I just had quad by-pass surgery in April.

I didn’t drink, smoke or eat a lot of sugar.

Perhaps I will now.....................


9 posted on 09/15/2020 12:05:04 PM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................very............)
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To: Red Badger

all the breads pastas and pizzas convert into sugar.same with the rices and potatoes. that’s what the carbs do.

many of the seed oils will cause your cardiovascular system problems as well. these include canola , cottenseed , corn oil.

extra virgin cold pressed olive oil and avocado oil are considered heart safe. olive oil has properties that are considered to be heart. healthy


10 posted on 09/15/2020 3:52:11 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

Omega-6 fats lead to inflamation. Eat as Omega-3 fats from SMASH fish (Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovy, Sardines, Herring), and grass-fed beef. Stay away from grains, and eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables.


11 posted on 09/15/2020 3:55:30 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Red Badger

I’m 67 I started adjusting my diet 6 years ago after cryoablation for heart affibulation


12 posted on 09/15/2020 3:55:53 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: dfwgator

agree. the centenarians have omega 6-3 ratios of about one or two to one.


13 posted on 09/16/2020 7:38:25 AM PDT by ckilmer
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To: ckilmer

Olive oil is all we use......................


14 posted on 09/17/2020 5:14:06 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................very............)
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To: ckilmer

I have had two Cardioversion procedures for that.................


15 posted on 09/17/2020 5:15:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Sine Q-Anon.....................very............)
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