How To Kick Stress-Related Sugar Cravings

It’s well-established that sugar is not healthy. While a sweet treat every once in a while may be okay, people who regularly eat sugar have a higher risk for a huge number of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, and even dementia. Limiting sugar is an important way to protect your health.

Even though most people know that sugar is not great for them, it can be tough to resist. Many people find that the lure of sweet treats is even greater when they’re feeling stressed. Even if you’re normally able to resist the temptation to grab something sweet, you might find yourself giving in when you’re dealing with something challenging.

Part of the reason for this is how sugar impacts your brain. Research has discovered that sugar releases certain brain chemicals, which in turn impacts your mood. Fortunately, there are other ways to release these chemicals instead of turning to sugar—which can help you to kick your stress-related sugar cravings.

Why stress makes you crave sugar

Brain cells communicate with each other using chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Different neurotransmitters have different functions. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that’s very important in stabilizing your mood. Another neurotransmitter called dopamine is important for feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

When you have low levels of these two chemicals, you’ll generally feel a bit depressed, anxious, or low on energy. Stress causes levels of both serotonin and dopamine to fall.

Sugary foods can increase the levels of these chemicals—at least temporarily. In some studies, eating sugary foods has been found to triple the levels of dopamine in certain areas of the brain. Eating sugar has also been found to trigger the release of serotonin.

That’s why, when you’re stressed, you tend to crave the rush of these chemicals that you get from eating something sweet. Your brain is looking for a way to restore healthy levels of serotonin and dopamine. Although sugar will temporarily produce these chemicals, it comes at a significant health cost—especially because, once your body has processed the sugar, your levels will drop and you’ll find yourself craving sugar again.

Healthier ways to raise serotonin and dopamine

The key to kicking stress-related sugar cravings is to find healthier ways to get that boost of dopamine and serotonin that your brain needs.

Sugar isn’t the only way to get a boost in these brain chemicals. Other effective ways to increase your serotonin and dopamine levels include exercise, sunshine (or other bright light, such as a light box), laughter, and meditation. You can also get a boost from doing almost any activity that you really enjoy, like listening to music that you love.

When a sugar craving hits, try reaching for one of these substitutes instead. For example, when you’re feeling low and you really want to grab a pint of ice cream from the freezer, you could:

• Take a walk or run outside
• Call a friend who makes you laugh
• Dance to your favorite high-energy song
• Do some deep-breathing exercises

These activities will boost your dopamine and serotonin levels in a healthy way. Often, after you’ve gotten that boost, you’ll find that your sugar craving is gone. Now that your brain has gotten the neurotransmitter boost that it needed, it’s no longer triggered to crave sugar. Instead of gritting your teeth and trying to resist the sugar craving with your willpower, you’ve met the underlying need in a different way.

If you regularly consume sugary foods and beverages, reducing your sugar consumption will make a huge difference for your health. For many people, stress creates strong sugar cravings that are very difficult to resist. The problem isn’t that you lack willpower—it’s that your brain has a strong need for dopamine and serotonin. By finding different ways to meet that need, you can kick stress-related sugar cravings, which will improve your mood and your health at the same time.