When I was in high school, I gave up sweets for long periods every year. And while it was inconvenient, I never really missed them. Little did I know it was a good thing and that sugar makes you tired.
Fast-forward to adulthood, where the stress of being a single Mom in the Army had me clinging to any source of dopamine that was readily available. That included a stash of chocolate that I hid in my underwear drawer so that my kids wouldn’t find it.
I’m a fan of enjoying an occasional treat on a special occasion, like my 40th birthday celebratory tiramisu.
When I had no energy, though, I thought that surviving the day was a special occasion that merited a sweet treat as a reward.
And that was part of the problem. I had not noticed yet, the effects of sugar and how tired it makes me feel.
Sugar doesn't give you energy, it makes you tired.
When you have low energy, you may think that sugar will give you an energy boost. And while that’s partially true, that boost is short-lived and puts stress on your body, which only makes you more tired.
Further, if you crave sugar, that could mean that you have other underlying issues. Such as insufficiency in your body’s stress response system, bacterial or fungal overgrowth in your gut. Both of which also cause low energy.
When you consume sugar, your pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which breaks down the sugar into energy used by your cells. Refined sugar induces a strong insulin response, which “burns” the sugar quickly. This reaction causes a quick sugar high followed by a sugar crash.
This low-blood sugar, or hypoglycemic state, is stressful on your body. This reaction causes cortisol to release into your bloodstream.
This process leads to sugar cravings, which may cause you to repeat the cycle: sugar consumption, insulin release, hypoglycemia, cortisol release, sugar craving.
Repetition of the same cycle subjects the body to chronic stress, which can have devastating long-term health effects. One of which is chronic exhaustion.
You can stop this cycle!
You can transform your energy by cutting sugar out of your diet.
If you struggle with emotional eating and sugar addiction, you might find this article helpful: https://strengthandshieldcoaching.com/why-do-we-crave-when-were-stressed/
Removing sugar from your diet can be difficult, but when you feel the shift in your energy, it will all be worth it.
Optimal is possible!
#nationaltiramisuday #nationalcheesecakeday #sugar