5 Reasons Your Sugar Cravings Are Out of Control

Ask someone about their favorite food, and they’ll likely start talking about dessert. After all, who could resist a delectable sweet treat? While delicious, eating excess sugar can cause several health problems. Here is a closer look at why you’re addicted to sugar and ways to overcome your cravings. 

According to the American Heart Association, men should have no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar daily, while women should consume only 6 teaspoons of sugar each day. Just one can of soda can blow through your daily allotment and then some. Take Coca-Cola, for example — one 20-ounce bottle has 65 grams of sugar. That’s about 13 teaspoons!

Walking past your favorite dessert or sweet beverage can be a real challenge. Here are five reasons you might crave it so badly.

1. Poor Diet

Perhaps not entirely surprising, Americans consume an average of 17 teaspoons of sugar daily — well beyond the recommended allowance. Unfortunately, it’s found in most processed or prepared groceries. Even commercial pasta sauce has 2 to 12 grams of sugar — about ½ to 3 teaspoons — half the amount of the daily recommendation for women.

Some experts compare sugar’s addictiveness to cocaine due to it stimulating one’s reward system. And a high-sugar diet can worsen one’s cravings. 

Choosing to cut back or eliminate sugar is a challenging feat, too. Many people turn to sugar alternatives — coconut sugar sales have risen 21.1% from 2023 to 2024 — but they are often even sweeter than the real thing. 

2. Insomnia

Insomnia prompts a vicious cycle regarding glucose. Consuming sugar at night stimulates your brain and causes sleep disruptions, hindering your ability to fall asleep quickly and achieve sleep quality. 

However, just one bad night’s sleep often triggers ghrelin — the hunger hormone — and cortisol. When your body is dragging after a long and restless night, you’ll likely reach for something sweet to get a rush. 

3. Chronic Stress or Low Mood

Sometimes, people might attach a positive memory to something sweet, activating the brain’s reward system. If you have depression and anxiety, you might think a treat will comfort or heal you. For example, does your grandmother’s pie spark happy childhood memories? Maybe your favorite food as a kid was macaroni and cheese, and you still find yourself craving it in stressful situations. 

A recent study suggests chronic stress can fuel sugar cravings, putting you at a greater risk of developing obesity or diabetes. You might not recognize signs of fullness when eating comfort foods, causing you to eat more higher-calorie foods than your body needs. 

4. Hormone Fluctuations

Many women experience sugar cravings alongside hormone fluctuations. Estrogen and progesterone drop and rise leading up to a woman’s period. The spike in these hormones relates to cortisol production, increasing sugar cravings.

Coincidentally, sugar can worsen premenstrual pain in teen girls. A review presented at the 2022 North American Menopause Society conference noted how sugar increased prostaglandins, increasing inflammation in the uterus and causing more severe cramping. 

5. Alcohol and Hangovers

Many people believe sugar is a helpful cure for hangovers. However, the spike in blood glucose can make you irritable, dizzy and more tired.

Drinking itself is also a cause of cravings. Researchers uncovered a 37% increase in sugar intake among people recovering from alcohol abuse. The substitution of sweets for alcohol is usually to prevent urges to drink and improve mood. 

Nip Your Sweet Tooth in the Bud

While restricting sugar entirely is likely not feasible — or maintainable — cutting back significantly can improve your health. The following tips will help you nip cravings in the bud:

• Fast for 24 hours — even four hours of fasting causes your body to use energy reserves from glucose in your bloodstream.
• Make a conscious effort to read food labels before buying products at the grocery store.
• Opt for minimally processed foods or those low in sugar — for instance, look for low or no-sugar yogurt and unsweetened applesauce.
• Always opt for water, tea, coffee, seltzer and other no-sugar beverages — add a lemon or orange slice for extra flavor. 
• Eat mindfully when enjoying a dessert.
• Keep healthier snacks on hand, such as carrot sticks, hummus, apples and nuts.
• Practice yoga, meditation, stretching or walking to reduce stress and prevent cravings. 
• Improve sleep quality by removing blue blight devices and making your environment more comfortable — 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal sleep temperature.

Stay Sweet With Less Sugar

Reducing the amount of sugar you eat will give you more energy and better health. The first step to beating your cravings is recognizing the triggers. Then, you can take the necessary measures so it no longer controls your life.

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash