Your blood sugar can drop rapidly. This is called reactive hypoglycemia. As he explains, "anything that upsets the delicate balance of the brain can trigger a headache and other low-sugar symptoms. Low sugar can cause a migraine headache, and it also may be why some people with migraines crave sugar just before or during a migraine attack, according to The Migraine Trust.
Migraine headache symptoms include intense and throbbing pain on one side of the head along with nausea and vomiting, according to Harvard Medical School. For people who don't get migraines, a low-blood-sugar headache can cause a dull, throbbing headache on both sides of the head over the temples, according to the National Headache Foundation. Postprandial syndrome is another term used to describe low blood sugar after eating, according to University of Wisconsin Hospitals.
Symptoms of both postprandial and reactive hypoglycemia start within four hours after a high-sugar meal. Along with headache, other symptoms can include sweating, weakness, nausea, moodiness, confusion and craving for sweets.
Reactive hypoglycemia is not the only sugar-related cause of headaches. Another type of low-sugar headache is what's sometimes called a hunger headache, according to the National Headache Foundation.
Your blood sugar can fall if you go too long between meals, exercise without eating or put yourself on too strict of a diet. Sleeping too late in the morning can also make you go too long between meals. The type of carbs you eat is also important, the foundation notes. Simple carbs are foods or drinks with added sugar, as well as foods like baked goods and white bread or pasta.
These foods are loaded with carbs that are easy and quick to absorb. People who do not have diabetes but are taking a diabetes medication may also develop hypoglycemia. Diabetes medications that can lead to low blood sugar include:.
Other types of medications that can in rare cases lead to low blood sugar include:. Rare tumors known as insulinomas can form in the pancreas and lead to the overproduction of insulin. Since insulin helps keep blood sugar levels regulated, having too much of it can lead to a drop in glucose levels and result in hypoglycemia.
Hormones play a vital role in glucose levels within the body, specifically cortisol. This hormone helps in many regulatory processes when it comes to glucose levels, such as insulin signaling, the breaking down of fats to release fatty acids, and glucose utilization. When cortisol levels are imbalanced, they cannot help with these processes. Reactive hypoglycemia is when low blood sugar occurs between two to five hours after eating a meal.
It is caused by an overproduction of insulin. The type of headache that occurs with reactive hypoglycemia is the same as those that occur in a typical case of hypoglycemia and affects both sides of the head near the temples.
The pain is typically dull and throbbing. Unlike hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia causes the blood vessels in the brain to constrict, resulting in headaches. They tend to be mild at first, but as the blood sugar levels continue to rise or are maintained at high levels, the headache may worsen.
Eating too much sugar can result in what is referred to as a sugar crash or sugar hangover. This occurs when too much sugar is eaten all at once. When the body consumes too much sugar or carbohydrates in one sitting, the pancreas goes into high gear to create insulin to help break down the sugar and regulate blood glucose levels. When this happens, the sudden decrease in blood sugar causes hypoglycemia. This can lead to several symptoms, such as an upset stomach and nausea, shakiness, tiredness, lightheadedness, mood swings, and headache.
The type of headache associated with a sugar crash is similar to a typical hypoglycemic headache. The headache will likely be dull and throbbing in the temple area of the head. Sugar has the ability to affect specific neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine.
Dopamine plays a role in mood, learning, memory, and behavior. It is also an important reward pathway found in the brain, and thus, plays a vital role in feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. When a person consumes too much sugar on a regular basis, the levels of dopamine become disrupted. Sugar is considered to be an addictive substance because of how it affects these levels. The more sugar a person consumes on a regular basis, the more sugar will be needed for that reward center to activate.
This is why when someone decides to limit their sugar intake after a prolonged period of consuming high amounts, they would suffer from withdrawal, much like they would if they were to quit smoking or using drugs.
If the reduction in sugar is drastic, it can lead to a migraine-type headache. This occurs on the first day of a new sugar-free diet and tends to lessen over the first few days or weeks as the brain adjusts to life without sugar. Research has shown that there are many parallels between sugar addiction and drug addiction. They affect the brain's neurochemistry and behavior similarly and therefore sugar addiction is considered just as real and serious as drug addiction.
Sugar is needed in the body for it to function normally, but consuming too much or too little sugar can wreak havoc on many systems. The truth is excess sugar upsets the entire balance of the body and that is why it can lead to unwanted effects such as headaches or migraines. On the flip side, cutting out sugar entirely seems like a healthy choice to make, but too little sugar in the body causes problems as well.
To avoid these complications, avoid added sugars wherever possible, and remember that moderation is key when it comes to sugar consumption. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sugar for the brain: the role of glucose in physiological and pathological brain function. Trends Neurosci.
Migraine and type 2 diabetes; is there any association? J Diabetes Metab Disord. Hypnic headache due to hypoglycemia: a case report. American Diabetes Association. Hypoglycemia low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes who are fasting for laboratory blood tests: the Cape Girardeau Hypoglycemia En Route Prevention Program. Postgrad Med. Cleveland Clinic. Thankfully, most treatments for sugar headaches can be found in your home or the local drugstore. Here are some of the most helpful ways to reduce the pain:.
The best offense is a good defense. The first thing to do is avoid added sugar. The Cleveland Clinic found that most adults eat 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, when really we should stick to 9 teaspoons daily for men and 6 for women! When you have a craving for sweets, try to have a piece of fruit instead. Or have a treat, but keep it small. Again, not all carbs are bad! You can have Olive Garden breadsticks — really!
Simple, or refined, carbohydrates break down into glucose in your body very quickly, which makes them fodder for blood sugar spikes and drops.
Regular exercise is another great way to keep your blood sugar level. It helps reduce stress oh yeah, reducing stress also helps and keeps your numbers down. These rose-tinted spectacles can block out light that triggers migraine attacks, offering a world of relief for people coping with the condition.
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Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Why does sweetness cause such pain? How about migraines? But what about sugar causes the headaches? What do sugar headaches feel like? Now, what to do about the pain. How to keep the headaches away.
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