Why am I always craving sweets?
The chocolate river, dessert island, marshmallow pillows, fizzy lemonade swimming pools, root beer goggles, and oh yeah, sugar balloons that you can blow up to huge sizes before you pop them with a pin and gobble them up. Sound familiar?
That’s a list of sweets you can find in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it could also just be a regular daydream for the sweet tooths out there—the people asking, why am I always craving sweets?
Of course, there are plenty of great answers to the question of why am I always craving sweets. Sweets are a reward at the end of the long day or a treat that functions as a nice pat on the back for doing something great. Sweets can be a coping mechanism to get us through sad times or something we find at a party when we’re celebrating the good times.
The truth is, sweets are everywhere. If you’re asking yourself, why am I always craving sweets, the answer is actually all around you. Whether we’re talking in the office break room, on a party tray, or in your freezer and pantry, sweets have the ability to become so ingrained in our life that we don’t even know how they got there—let alone how to get rid of them.
But if we look at the science of sugar and what it does to our bodies, we’ll see that it’s not unusual to wonder "Why am I always craving sweets?" In fact, it’s perfectly normal and there’s plenty we can do about it.
Why do we crave sugar?
Ever wonder what sugar and cocaine have in common? Besides being two white powders, they both have a similarly addictive effect on our brains. In fact, if you try to quickly and completely remove sugar from your diet, you are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms—the first of which is to ask yourself, “Why am I always craving sweets?”
Then, fatigue, depression, headaches, and muscle aches will quickly follow, making you regret ever trying to quit sugar in the first place. Here’s the science behind our cravings.
Sugar cravings typically start with a blood sugar imbalance. As you consume sweets with sugar, your blood sugar spikes, causing your body to release insulin which then lowers it to a safer level. However, if insulin happens to over-reduce your blood sugar (which happens often), your body begins to crave the sugar that helped raise your blood sugar and increase your energy in the first place.
Once you’re on board this sugar roller coaster, it’s not so easy to hop off. Hence, why you may be wondering, “Why am I always craving sweets?” Of course, sugar isn’t all bad (it gives us energy, after all), but without moderation, we can experience other issues.
Why is too much sugar bad for your health?
Sugar affects every single part of our bodies. And when we consume too much, our entire system pays the price.
Your Brain
Eating sugar releases dopamine—the feel-good chemical often associated with addictive drugs. If you’re wondering, “Why am I always craving sweets?” you’re probably one of the many who are chasing the dopamine sugar-high.
Your Mood
In addition to the sugar high (lots of energy following sugar consumption) and the sugar crash (the “I’m so tired I have to take a nap right now” post-sugar feeling), sugar can have long-lasting effects on your emotional wellbeing. In fact, studies have linked overconsumption of sugar to depression in adults.
Your Teeth
You’re not the only one asking “Why am I always craving sweets?” The bacteria that create cavities might be wondering the same thing. Because they’re attracted to the sugar left in your mouth after you just finished eating some sweets, eating too much sugar can quickly lead to cavities and other dental issues.
Your Joints
Because of the inflammation caused by sugar, consuming too many sweets can increase joint pain and is even associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Your Skin
Love your youthful glow? Avoid sugar. Harmful molecules called “AGEs” (a perfectly descriptive acronym for advanced glycation end products) created by excess sugar can lead to wrinkles and saggy skin.
Your Heart
Excess sugar causes the walls in your arteries to inflame which can cause heart damage over time and even lead to heart attacks and strokes. Research shows that those who eat too much sugar (which results in higher blood pressure) are twice as likely to die from heart disease.
Your Sex Life
Don’t let us talk you out of dessert on date night, but if you’re a guy with chronically high levels of sugar in your bloodstream, you may be impeding the blood flow throughout your body, which needs to be working properly to get and keep an erection.
How do we curb sugar cravings?
If you’re still asking yourself “Why am I always craving sweets?” and are ready to take action, there are plenty of ways to slow your sugar intake.
- Eat a high-protein breakfast to avoid high-sugar cereals and reduce early morning cravings.
- Create a meal plan. Knowing what you’re eating next will decrease the likelihood that you eat something impulsively.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water can help you feel more full.
- Change your environment. Remove the temptations that most commonly cause you to indulge in sweets.
If you need help trying any or all of these, OnMi has the patches you need to improve your overall health, decrease your sugar intake, and stop asking yourself why am I always craving sweets.
The Crave Less Patch uses brindleberry (a natural supplement for weight maintenance), rockweed (rich in vitamins, minerals, and free-radical-fighting antioxidants, oarweed (increases energy and may help with weight loss), and green tea extract (can increase energy and may help burn fat) to provide the focus needed to reach your goals, boost energy so you can stay motivated, and reduce appetite so you stay satisfied.
The Healthy Weight Patch also uses brindleberry, Yerba Maté (rich in antioxidants and nutrients that can improve mental focus and energy), bitter orange flower (shown to help with digestion and weight loss), and Arabica Green Coffee (may help control body weight and fat accumulation) to help your body metabolize fat, carbs, and sugars, to transport long-chain fatty acids, making you feel full, and to provide natural sources of energy to keep you on track
It’s okay to treat yourself but if you have certain health goals or are looking to have a more balanced diet/lifestyle, OnMi can help get you there. Stop asking yourself “Why am I always craving sweets?” and start deciding what you want to do about your health and lifestyle.