Sugar addiction

What is sugar addiction?

Sugar addiction can be both behavioural and chemical. It is a dependency that incites a compulsion toward sugary food and drink in order to trigger a dopamine release.

Sugar addiction follows common addiction traits such as cravings, bingeing, and potential withdrawal symptoms. An addiction to sugar is often driven by feelings of high emotion and stress, rather than feelings of hunger. 

• Behavioural sugar addiction could mean you find yourself eating dessert every evening, even when you aren’t hungry, or snacking throughout the day, regardless of whether you are hungry.
• Chemical sugar addiction refers to when your body becomes so used to having sugar that you experience negative effects and physical cravings when you try to cut back or stop eating sugar altogether.

How does sugar affect us?

Sugar is thought to be one of the leading causes of the obesity crisis in the UK. Too much sugar can lead to a number of physical effects on your health, such as:  

• high blood pressure
• inflammation
• type-2 diabetes
• weight gain
• tooth decay
• heart disease

For many of us, excess sugar consumption can also have a psychological impact, leading to issues such as lower self-esteem, lower confidence levels, and even depression.

While we are becoming more aware of the risks of ‘empty calories’ in the form of added sugar to processed foods, sugar can sneak into our diets more than we may realise. 

According to the NHS, most adults eat above the daily recommended 30g of ‘free sugars’ (sugar that is added to food, drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups, juices, smoothies, and purees). And nearly half of us admit we do not understand what we should eat.

But how can we know when we’re having too much sugar, and is having more than the recommended daily intake really a bad thing? We explain more about sugar addiction and what help is available if you’re worried about your health or habits.

Is sugar addiction real?

While historically some have argued that sugar addiction is not real, studies have shown that sugar can produce more symptoms than are required to be considered an addictive substance both chemically and behaviourally. 

A 2017 study revealed that added sugar can cause drug-like effects, including:

• binge eating
• cravings
• developing a tolerance to sugar
• withdrawal symptoms
• increased tolerance

Some experts believe that we can develop an emotional or psychological dependence on sugary food and drinks, due to the energy boost (or ‘short-term high’) they give.

This means that, if you’re feeling stressed or tired, you may be more likely to pick up a sugary snack, treat, or meal, as, unconsciously, you may associate this kind of food with feeling happier or more energetic, thanks to that release of endorphins. Over time, this can become a comforting habit and create an unhealthy method of coping.

Signs and symptoms of sugar addiction

There are a number of different signs and symptoms of sugar addiction and/or wider problem eating. You may find yourself experiencing frequent ‘sugar highs’ – a rush after you eat something sugary, followed often by a ‘crash’ a little while later, as your blood sugar levels lower or drop suddenly, leaving you feeling worse than before. 

Signs of a sugar addiction: 

• constant cravings for sweet or salty foods
• an increasing need for 'more' to satisfy your cravings (larger portions, extra sugary drinks or snacks)
• purposefully or compulsively eating sugary or sugar-filled things even when not physically hungry
• emotional eating (comfort, celebration, stress, upset)
• feelings of guilt when eating
• hiding your eating habits from friends, family, or colleagues
• making excuses or deals with yourself to justify unhealthy choices (e.g., "I’ll eat better tomorrow" or "I’ll have an extra portion because today was really hard!")

Symptoms of a sugar addiction/excess sugar consumption: 

• poor skin health or frequent breakouts of spots
• dulled taste buds
• periods of lethargy or low energy after eating (sugar crashes)
• feel out of control when you eat (e.g., you may eat more than you planned, may ‘binge’, or feel unable to stop past the point of being full)

Sugar withdrawal symptoms:

If you have tried to reduce your sugar intake, you may have noticed the following symptoms. These are sometimes known as the ‘sugar-flu’ and result from lower dopamine and energy levels stabilising. 

• headaches
• fatigue, lethargy, or trouble sleeping
• feelings of anxiety or depression
• cravings for ‘junk food’ or carb-heavy foods
• nausea, light-headed, or dizzy

How do I stop my addiction to sugar?

If you are worried about your sugar intake or think that you may be addicted to sugar, there are different things you can try to overcome sugar cravings. 

1. Learn more about food, nutrition and a balanced diet 

Learning how to identify the source of sugar in your diet can be a positive first step toward making changes. Many people can forget that everyday foods, such as flavoured and fruit yoghurts, unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, sauces, condiments, tinned foods, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic replacement drinks, often contain sugar with few to no beneficial fibre, vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients. 

While tips to cut back on sugar that emphasise a more balanced diet may help some people, simply being told to cut back on sugary drinks, processed foods, or fast food isn’t always very helpful. Regardless of whether you struggle with your weight or not, people can develop unhealthy habits that link to their food and behaviour.

For example, using food as a way to comfort themselves after a stressful or emotional week, as a reward for eating healthier or completing a hard task, or as a bribe to do a chore or task that they really don’t want to.

Simple changes to your diet can help you to feel fuller for longer. For example, increasing your protein and fibre intake can give you an energy boost and make you feel fuller for longer, which can help you hold off on reaching for sugar-filled foods.

2. Drink more water

Ensuring you are drinking enough water can also help, as it can become easy to confuse thirst with hunger over time. Ensuring you drink the recommended two litres of water a day has more benefits than you may realise. Drinking water can help improve your skin and support your body's functions. Not drinking enough water can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Try to avoid switching from full sugar fizzy or carbonated drinks to diet or low-calorie versions. While these can seem like a happy compromise, research has shown that artificial sweeteners can encourage our sugar cravings and dependence, rather than helping us wean ourselves off of them.

3. Reduce your stress levels

It's likely we've all experienced some stress recently. Over time, stress can lead to serious health problems, including headaches, heart problems, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Managing your stress levels can not only reduce your likelihood of experiencing these issues but also reduce sugar cravings whilst boosting your sense of well-being. 

The more overwhelmed we feel, the less we feel able to cope. This can push us back towards unhealthy or unhelpful habits as a way of trying to numb or ignore these feelings.

We may not even realise that how we’re feeling emotionally (anxious, easily irritated, angry) or physically (trouble focusing, difficulty making decisions, racing thoughts, exhaustion, headaches, changes in appetite, problems sleeping) is being caused by stress. Increasing your exercise levels, practising relaxation techniques such as mindfulness or meditation, taking up hypnotherapy, or making time for self-care can help you manage your stress.

How long does it take to break a sugar addiction?

According to experts, taking a two-week break from sugar can help you reset your body. Other experts advise that it can take up to four weeks for your brain and body to stop craving sweets and start wanting healthier, more satisfying, and more nutritious foods. 

Hypnotherapy for sugar addiction

If you are worried that you might have an unhealthy relationship with food, working with a hypnotherapist can help you change your eating habits, break behavioural patterns, and rediscover new, healthier ways of coping with stress. A hypnotherapist can help you to:

Find underlying issues

Emotional eating can often be triggered by underlying issues that you may not even be aware of. Stress, anxiety and overwhelm can all lead you towards ‘comfort eating’ if you don’t already have healthy, sustainable coping mechanisms in place.

This is because our brains are designed to seek comfort and reduce stress as part of our natural survival instincts. Over time, if your brain associates sugar with a temporary boost in dopamine and a reduction in anxiety, it can begin to trigger cravings during periods of stress. By accessing your subconscious, a hypnotherapist may be able to retrain this response with healthier habits, and in time, you may learn to associate stress relief with these healthier behaviours rather than sugar consumption.

Recognise and challenge unhealthy patterns and thoughts

Over time, we can develop unhelpful patterns, habits or behaviours. A hypnotherapist can work with you to change negative thoughts, help you learn to recognise signs that you may be eating out of habit or due to how you are feeling, and introduce you to more helpful, sustainable behaviours.

During hypnosis, the mind enters a deeply relaxed and focused state, which may make it easier to access and reshape these automatic responses. A hypnotherapist can help identify the emotional triggers, thought patterns, or routines linked to certain habits, while reinforcing healthier ways of thinking and responding.

Learn how to listen to your body

Using mindfulness, grounding, and self-care techniques, a hypnotherapist can help you to recognise hunger cues (when you are full or hungry) and start listening to your body.

Share self-hypnosis and mindfulness techniques

A hypnotherapist can teach you self-hypnosis techniques, which you can use to continue to reinforce new habits and suggestions made between hypnotherapy sessions.

Mindfulness techniques can also help you become more self-aware, helping you better recognise what, when, where, and how much you are eating – as well as the reasons why you are eating.

When willpower alone is not enough 

As with many different forms of addiction, willpower alone is often not enough to overcome sugar addiction. Through working with a qualified, experienced hypnotherapist, you can better understand the underlying feelings that have contributed to creating unhealthy coping mechanisms. By addressing these underlying issues, you can lay the foundations for success.

A hypnotherapist should not recommend you go on a diet nor offer nutritional advice (unless they have additional training and qualifications in nutrition). Instead, a hypnotherapist can help you cultivate a healthier mindset, identify the root cause that has led to your sugar addiction, and help you to make lasting changes.

Hypnotherapy can help with sugar addiction in three steps: avoiding, exploring and healing. First, it helps you avoid sugar by changing old habits into healthier ones. Then, it explores the root cause of the addiction and why it is there. Finally, it works on healing the parts of you that are holding onto the addiction.

– Vanessa McLennan, Hypnotherapist

Finding a hypnotherapist

Taking the first step can feel daunting, but the right support can make all the difference. Use our advanced search to find an experienced, qualified hypnotherapist who feels like the right fit for you. Simply select your location below to connect with a hypnotherapist offering in-person or online sessions.