Lifestyle   Wellness
By Lifestyle Team | 15 Nov. 2023

9 Signs That You're Eating Too Much Sugar

2 - Dry Skin

dry skinpixabay.com / Raw Pixel
Eating sucrose or fructose sugars causes insulin levels to spike. This spike causes our system to produce enzymes that break down collagen, the main structural protein in skin, thus causing our skin to become dry and itchy.

Dry skin is bad effect sugar has on your skin, but also causes and worsens acne. Since sugar causes inflammation it makes those blemishes on your skin a bit more red and larger. Sugar also suppresses white blood cell count which allows those acne causing bacteria more time to grow.

3 - Dry Mouth

sugar dry mouthnicepik.com / CC0 Public Domain
Processing sugars takes a lot of water. So when there is too much sugar in our systems the body pulls water from other places like the mouth, skin, brain, or stomach.

A little fun fact is that foods containing high levels of caffeine can also cause dry mouth. So your cup of coffee in the morning with a double scoop of sugar can really dry your mouth. So maybe a cup of decaf in the morning may help out your dry mouth symptoms.

4 - Frequent Urination

sugar frequent bathroomPexels.com / Hafidz Alifuddin
Processing sugar produces a myriad of toxic waste products. The best way to get rid of them is using urine. As waste is produced it’s flushed to the bladder and the brain gives the signal you have to pee, even if your bladder isn’t full.

This symptom can also be tied to diabetes. When you have diabetes, excess sugar builds up in your blood. Your kidneys then in turn work extra hard to filter out the excess sugar. When your kidneys can no longer keep up, the remaining sugar goes directly into the urine. Frequent urination coupled with extreme thirst might be a warning sign to go see your doctor.

5 - Constant Sugar Cravings

Sugar-cravePexels.com / Artem Beliaikin
Research has shown that sugar, especially processed sugar, is addictive. A spike in sugar levels causes a release of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pain and pleasure centers. A sugar induced dopamine rush gives you a sense of pleasure and contentment, something your brain wants thus causing a craving.

Unfortunately, this starts an endless loop in which you crave sugar, eat more, then crave it again. Once you’re in the loop, it’s hard to recognize when to stop. Instead of reaching for the sugar, reach for a glass of water instead. If it’s not enough, at least grab fruit so that your sugar consumption is paired with a somewhat healthier choice.

6 - Constant Exhaustion

exhaustionPexels.com / Lina Kivaka
An influx of sugar into the body causes a spike in insulin which also suppresses a brain chemical called orexin. Orexin is the chemical that keeps us feeling awake. After the energy surge from the sugar has passed, it takes the brain time to produce orexin again. That lag time causes us to feel tired and sleepy.

To make matters worse, eating more sugar during the day could cause you to wake up more often in the middle of the night, making you even more exhausted the next day. It might be too difficult to cut all sugar out of your diet, but to lessen this side effect, try keeping your consumption low and consistent. Avoid sugar binges, and when you do eat foods with sugar, consume it in smaller quantities than you normally do.

7 - Frequent Illness

SUGAR SICKPixabay.com / Mojpe
The body uses a lot of resources to process sugars, specifically fructose. Those resources include electrolytes, antioxidants, minerals, water and hormones. Depleting the body of these chemicals causes the immune system to dip making our bodies less able to fight off illness.

Eating too much sugar can also lead to more serious illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, strokes, high blood pressure and more. This makes it all the more important to take a closer look at your general diet so you can understand which foods contain unnecessary, added sugar.

8- Difficulty Concentrating

sugar difficulty concentratingPexels.com / Alexander Dummer
In general, your brain needs a constant intake of blood sugar to work, but consuming high amounts of refined sugars, like those found in soda or breakfast cereal, could actually damage your brain cells. Eating too much refined sugar can also impede synaptic communication within your brain and cause neurons to misfire, eating up your brain’s processing energy.

Sugar can also limit the blood flow to your brain. The body processes and transports sugars throughout the body using blood. When there is an influx of sugar it needs to get more blood to the liver, the primary processing facility for sugar. To do this, it constricts blood flow from other parts of the body including the brain. This restriction makes it hard to think and concentrate.

9 - Irritability

sugar irritablePixabay.com / Robin Higgins
After the initial rush of sugar induced dopamine, all the systems impacted by an excess of sugar including dehydration, tiredness, cravings, and skin discomfort can pile up and cause a general sense of irritability.

Although the body relies on sugar for energy, too much and the wrong kind create a myriad of problems. A balanced diet with limited sugar intake can do wonders for overall wellness and happiness. When it comes to sugar, like most things in life, the best rule is everything in moderation.