Sugar has long been a companion of those dealing with bouts of stress at work, at home, or in general social life.
Undoubtedly, most people turn to this fellow as a response to stress. More prominently, the “sugar rush” phenomenon is what people truly look for when they turn to sweets as a way to cope.
Sometimes when you want to have a moment of relief with sweets, you might also want to keep a tab on your health.
Having it in moderation will serve the purpose, and if you go beyond the limit, there is a chance that you must have destroyed your health. Measured eating and checking what treats you have actually aid you greatly.
However, the impact of having sugar on stress is both good and bad, depending on the pattern it follows. Regardless, people have and will continue to fall into the trap of “stress eating,” and here’s why it’s not all that bad.
Temporary Relief Is All One Needs
Sometimes, a person needs to feel better for a while before deciding how to deal with stress. Sweets act as a window that buys a person some time to relax before being realistic and finding a permanent solution.
Sugar makes you feel less frazzled because it suppresses your brain’s HPA or hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, a part of the brain responsible for controlling your stress response.
At the same time, relying on sugar every time can cause more problems than it can solve. This is why finding the middle ground is necessary. If you find yourself looking for a sweet fix, click here to find the best fit for your taste buds.
Sugar makes you feel less frazzled because it suppresses your brain’s HPA or hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, a part of the brain responsible for controlling your stress response.
At the same time, relying on sugar every time can cause more problems than it can solve. This is why finding the middle ground is necessary.
If you do find yourself looking for a sweet fix, click here to look for the best fit for your taste buds at WholeSaleSweetsUK.
Sweet Treats Make Your Brain Happy
Nothing can replace the sensory pleasure a gooey brownie or a melted piece of chocolate gives you. However, pleasure does not come from the sensation but from the brain.
Since it lasts for a very short period, you may return to your original state, and the sensations become a memory.
The best part about tantalizing your taste buds with something sweet is that it can replace your worry and anxiety with calmness, even if it lasts for a short while.
However, it’s not the taste of the food that’s doing it because if it was, it would’ve been possible to eliminate stress just by having a candy bar.
If anything like that could ever work, industries would sell confections in the name of stress.
How Does Your Brain Assist The Stress Relief Process?
Achieving a sense of comfort from having sweets does not come easy. Swallowing and digesting them are important aspects of signaling to your brain that you need to work through a problem but are looking for slight relief.
After digesting sweets, all carbohydrates in them stimulate a process that allows your brain to create more serotonin.
Serotonin, known as the “good mood” chemical, helps you deal with many emotions, such as depression, frustration, anxiety, anger, etc. In a way, this chemical allows you to breathe and decide what to do next.
Therefore, no matter how delicious something is, it cannot resolve a problem causing us to overeat in the first place. But, it does calm us down to help us start the healing journey. Here are a few mood boosters you can try to relieve your stress.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has antioxidants that help lower your stress levels. However, professionals recommend having it in moderation.
Generally, you should aim to eat just ¼ th of a dark chocolate bar and make sure the bar doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners or extra sugars.
Citrus Fruits
Having sweets does not necessarily mean having junk. You can also find a good blend of sweet and sour in citrus fruits. Since they have a good amount of vitamins, they are also known to work well for high anxiety levels.
Hence, you can start with fruits like strawberries, oranges, and grapefruits. There is a sweet flavor accompanied by these fruits that satisfy your craving and, at the same time, soothe your tastebuds.
Your anxiety levels will definitely come down, giving you a refreshing lease of energy to blow off steam.
Nuts And Dried Fruits
If you want to have something sweet and dwindle your anxiety, go with healthier options like nuts. They have notes of sweetness in them and lend you an incessant amount of energy.
The cashews, walnuts, or even dried dates or sweetened amla give you the necessary sweetness by reducing your anxiety and filling you with proteins and vitamins.
They have the ability to even fulfill your appetite instantly and not crave anything more. They have a hard texture and offer the required fiber to chew and munch them.
Some nuts might have a tinge of bitterness in them, but they sure make a good bite to keep you relaxed and engaged.
Candies And Cookies
Sugar, as mentioned above, is definitely the best stress reliever. However, you have to make sure that you have them in moderation. Going overboard with sugar consumption can be harmful to your health.
Candies, small sugar treats, and baked cookies with healthy nuts can be consumed in small quantities. They can instantly reduce your anxiety, feed you with instant energy, and spice up your mood.
They can be extremely fulfilling when you particularly feel snacky, and you can also combine them with hot beverages to satisfy your evening cravings.
People who have mood swings can occasionally rely on these minor snack items to relieve themselves from some social pressure.
Conclusion
In the end, there’s a lot to recommend, and the list can go on forever. One must understand how having sweets is sometimes the best way to deal with even the biggest turmoil life throws us.
However, moderation is the only way to help us understand the small line between what is healthy and what is simply a case of sugar addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does sweet treats make your brain happy?
Nothing can replace the sensory pleasure a gooey brownie or a melted piece of chocolate gives you. However, pleasure does not come from the sensation but from the brain. Since it lasts for a very short period, you may return to your original state, and the sensations become a memory.
How does your brain assist the stress relief process?
Achieving a sense of comfort from having sweets does not come easy. Swallowing and digesting them are important aspects of signaling to your brain that you need to work through a problem but are looking for slight relief.
How is dark chocolates helpful?
Dark chocolate has antioxidants that help lower your stress levels. However, professionals recommend having it in moderation. Generally, you should aim to eat just ¼ th of a dark chocolate bar and make sure the bar doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners or extra sugars.
