Anxiety and Craving Sugar, Sweets, Chocolate, High-Calorie Foods
Craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, pastries, and other high-calorie foods are common anxiety symptoms, including anxiety and panic attack symptoms.
Many anxious and stressed people crave high sugar foods when anxious and stressed.
This article explains the relationship between anxiety and craving high-sugar, high-calorie foods.
Article Menu
Craving Sugar, Sweets, Chocolate, and High-Calorie Food Anxiety Symptoms Descriptions
- An increased craving for high-calorie foods, such as sweets, chocolate, pastries, and foods high in carbohydrates. Although you normally have a “sweet tooth,” these cravings are unusually strong and persistent.
- A strong desire for high sugar foods, and more so than normal.
- A strong craving to eat, and especially high calorie foods.
- Even though you eat a full meal or ingest raw sugar foods, such as candy bars, pastries, cakes, chocolate, soft drinks, and fruit juices, a short while later you crave more.
- Persistently hungry. Even though you ate only a short time ago, you are hungry again, and what you are craving most are high-calorie foods, such as sugars and sweets.
Sugar craving can:
- Occur occasionally, frequently, or persistently.
- Precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety symptoms or occur by itself.
- Precede, accompany, or follow a period of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and stress, or occur "out of the blue" for no reason.
- Range in intensity from mild, to moderate, to severe.
- Come in waves where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next.
- Occur for a while, subside, and then return for no reason.
- Change from day to day, moment to moment, or remain as a constant background during your struggle with anxiety disorder.
All the above combinations and variations are common.
Craving high-calorie foods can seem stronger when undistracted, resting, or during leisure activities.
To see if anxiety might be playing a role in your symptoms, rate your level of anxiety using our free one-minute instant results Anxiety Test, Anxiety Disorder Test, or Hyperstimulation Test.
The higher the rating, the more likely anxiety could be contributing to or causing your anxiety symptoms, including feeling like impending doom symptoms.
---------- Advertisement - Article Continues Below ----------
---------- Advertisement Ends ----------
Why does anxiety cause craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, and high carb foods?
Medical Advisory
Talk to your doctor about all new, changing, persistent, and returning symptoms as some medical conditions and medications can cause anxiety-like symptoms.
1. Anxiety-Activated Stress Response
Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response, which secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel to specific locations to immediately prepare the body for emergency action – to fight or flee. This instinctual survival reaction is often referred to as the Fight Or Flight Response.[1][2]
Visit the “Stress Response” article for the many ways it can affect the body and how we feel.
The degree of stress response is proportional to the degree of anxiety. The more anxious you are, the more dramatic the stress response and its changes.
Since stress responses push the body beyond its internal balance (equilibrium), stress responses stress the body. As such, anxiety stresses the body.
An anxiety-activated stress response can cause acute stress.
2. Hyperstimulation
Frequently activating the stress response, such as from overly anxious behavior, can leave the body in a state of semi-stress-response-readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.
Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[3][4]
Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways it can affect the body and how we feel.
Hyperstimulation can cause the changes of an active stress response even though a stress response hasn’t been activated. Consequently, hyperstimulation can cause chronic stress.
Craving high-sugar, high-calorie food is a common symptom of stress,[5][6] including anxiety-caused stress. For instance:
Stress taxes the body’s energy resources harder than normal
As the body’s stress increases, so does the demand for fuel to help meet the demand for more energy. Since the body converts the foods we eat to blood sugar, which the body uses for fuel, a higher demand for energy causes a higher demand for fuel (food).
The quickest way for the body to get fuel is to eat foods that quickly convert to blood sugar, which are high-calorie foods, such as raw sugar foods like candy, sweets, pastries, and chocolate.
Consequently, when the body is overly stressed, we’ll experience an increased demand for quick energy, which often translates into a craving for high-calorie foods, like sweets.
Ingesting sweets reduces cortisol
Stress creates a demand for fuel. If you aren’t eating regularly, the body produces that fuel by secreting cortisol, which quickly converts to blood sugar.
However, ingesting high-sugar foods reduces the demand for cortisol, thereby reducing it overall.[7][8] When stressed, eating high-sugar foods fills the need for blood sugar and reduces cortisol production, which can make a person feel better.
Stress decreases serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) and consuming sugar increases serotonin
Stress depletes the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is thought to be the “feel good” neurotransmitter. As stress increases, we feel worse.
However, ingesting sugar decreases cortisol and increases serotonin, so we feel better.[9][10] The desire for more energy and to feel better can drive our craving for high-sugar foods when stressed.
Sweets activate the body’s reward system
In addition to the above, high-sugar foods activate the body’s reward system.[11] Experiencing rewards often sets up a craving for more rewards (which is the mechanism behind addiction).
Increased the taste of sweets, which increases the pleasure of eating sweets
Stress hormones heighten our senses, which include taste receptors. Consequently, sugar tastes better when stress is elevated. Sweeter-tasting sugar can cause a craving for that “sweeter taste.”[12][13]
Hormone fluctuations can cause a craving for high-sugar foods.
Stress hormones affect other hormones. Fluctuating hormone levels can cause a craving for high-sugar foods. For instance, changes in insulin levels can lead to blood sugar fluctuations, triggering cravings for sugary foods to raise blood glucose levels quickly.
Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels, particularly during stressful situations, the menstrual cycle, or menopause, can affect sugar cravings.
Changing hunger-regulating hormones, such as Ghrelin and Leptin, can also cause an increase in high-sugar cravings.
Stress can cause emotional eating.
Many anxious and stressed people soothe themselves by eating high-sugar and other “junk foods.”
When you combine all the above factors, it’s no wonder we crave high-sugar, high-calorie, and “junk foods” when stressed and anxious.
Regarding stress and blood sugar, there are important blood sugar considerations to keep in mind when stress and anxiety are elevated.
Recovery Support members can read the section “Blood Sugar” in Chapter 4 for more information.
3. Other Factors
Other factors can stress the body, causing and aggravating sugar cravings, including:
- Medication
- Recreational drugs
- Stimulants
- Sleep deprivation
- Fatigue
- Hyper and hypoventilation
- Low blood sugar
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Dehydration
- Hormone changes
- Pain
Select the relevant link for more information.
---------- Advertisement - Article Continues Below ----------
---------- Advertisement Ends ----------
Treatment
When sugar cravings are caused or aggravated by other factors, addressing the appropriate factor(s) can help reduce and eliminate this symptom in time.
When craving high-sugar, high-calorie foods are caused by acute and chronic stress, including anxiety-caused stress, you can reduce and eliminate the craving by reducing your anxiety and stress and giving your body ample time to recover.
You can reduce and eliminate stress by:
- Containing anxious behavior.
- Reducing stress.
- Regular deep relaxation.
- Relaxed diaphragmatic breathing.
- Regular light to moderate exercise.
- Getting regular good sleep.
- Eating a healthy diet of whole and natural foods.
- Avoiding stimulants.
- Passively-accepting your symptoms until they subside.
- Being patient as your body recovers.
Visit our “60 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress” article for more ways to reduce stress.
Recovery Support members can read chapters 5,6, 7, and 14 for more ways to reduce stress.
Reducing stress and dealing with your anxiety issues is the best way to overcome craving for high-sugar, high-calorie foods.
Short-term strategies
Some short-term strategies that can help address craving high-sugar, high-calorie foods:
1. Reduce stress and anxiety so that the demand for energy is less.
As we mentioned, reducing stress and addressing the underlying factors of your anxiety is the best course of action for long-term results.
2. Eat foods that have a more complex makeup, such as high protein foods, nuts, and raw vegetables and fruits.
Foods with a more complex makeup are converted into blood sugar more slowly, preventing sudden spikes in blood sugar. Complex foods also help stabilize blood sugar since their conversion is slower, and the energy they provide is distributed over a longer period. Many of these foods produce a similar serotonin-boosting effect without the disadvantage of high-sugar foods.
3. Eat smaller, more frequent meals so your body’s energy is replenished more frequently.
4. Avoid high-calorie and raw-sugar foods.
High-calorie and raw-sugar foods are converted into blood sugar quickly. A rapid rise in blood sugar can cause the “blood sugar spike then plunge” effect. For more information on this phenomenon, Recovery Support members can read the “Blood Sugar” section in Chapter 4.
5. Avoid stimulants.
Ingesting stimulants into an already overly stimulated body is like throwing gas on a fire. Ingesting stimulants can cause a flare-up in sensations and symptoms and can undo the recovery progress you’ve already made.
Again, the best way to eliminate this symptom (and all sensations and symptoms of stress and anxiety) is to reduce your stress and address your anxiety issues. As your body recovers, it stops sending symptoms, including craving high-sugar, high-calorie foods.
Recovery Support
The Recovery Support area of our website contains thousands of pages of important self-help information to help individuals overcome anxiety disorder, hyperstimulation, and symptoms.
Due to the vast amount of information, including a private Discussion Forum, many of our Recovery Support members consider it their online recovery support group.
Therapy
Unidentified and unaddressed underlying factors cause issues with anxiety. As such, they are the primary reason why anxiety symptoms persist.
Addressing your underlying factors (Level Two recovery) is most important if you want lasting success.
Addressing Level Two recovery can help you:
- Contain anxious behavior.
- Become unafraid of anxiety symptoms and the strong feelings of anxiety.
- End anxiety symptoms.
- Successfully address the underlying factors that so often cause issues with anxiety.
- End what can feel like out-of-control worry.
All our recommended anxiety therapists have had anxiety disorder and overcame it. Their personal experience with anxiety disorder and their Master's Degree and above professional training give them insight other therapists don't have.
If you want to achieve lasting success over anxiety disorder, any one of our recommended therapists would be a good choice.
Working with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist is the most effective way to treat anxiety disorder, especially if you have persistent symptoms and difficulty containing anxious behavior, such as worry.[14][15][16]
In many cases, working with an experienced therapist is the only way to overcome stubborn anxiety.
---------- Advertisement - Article Continues Below ----------
---------- Advertisement Ends ----------
Additional Comments
Many people don’t mind this symptom since eating something sweet can be pleasurable. But as mentioned, ingesting high-calorie foods, including sweets, can lead to health problems down the road.
A balanced diet of natural and raw foods (cooking foods can reduce their nutritional value) is better for optimal health. Doing so also can positively affect your health, including having a positive effect when overly stressed and anxious.
Did you know that eating the wrong types of foods can increase anxiety and stress and their negative effects?
Even though sugar cravings are a common symptom of anxiety, we caution against overindulging in high-calorie foods, such as sweets. A diet high in sweets can create many health problems and problems with insulin sensitivity and cortisol suppression…both of which can adversely affect anxiety symptoms and overall recovery.
Recovery support members can read the “Nutrition” section in Chapter 22 for more information.
Common Anxiety Symptoms
Additional Resources
- For a comprehensive list of Anxiety Disorders Symptoms Signs, Types, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment.
- Anxiety and panic attacks symptoms can be powerful experiences. Find out what they are and how to stop them.
- How to stop an anxiety attack and panic.
- Free online anxiety tests to screen for anxiety. Two minute tests with instant results. Such as:
- Anxiety 101 is a summarized description of anxiety, anxiety disorder, and how to overcome it.
Return to our anxiety disorders signs and symptoms page.
anxietycentre.com: Information, support, and therapy for anxiety disorder and its symptoms, including Craving Sugar, Sweets, Chocolate Anxiety Symptoms.
References
1. Chu, Brianna, et al. “Physiology, Stress Reaction.” StatPearls, 7 May 2024.
2. Godoy, Livea, et al. "A Comprehensive Overview on Stress Neurobiology: Basic Concepts and Clinical Implications." Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience, 3, July 2018.
3. Yaribeygi, Habib, et al. “The Impact of Stress on Body Function: A Review.” EXCLI Journal, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, 2017.
4. Teixeira, Renata Roland, et al. “Chronic Stress Induces a Hyporeactivity of the Autonomic Nervous System in Response to Acute Mental Stressor and Impairs Cognitive Performance in Business Executives.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015.
5. Yau, Yvonne H.C., et al. “Stress and Eating Behaviors.” Edizioni Minerva Medica, Sept. 2013; 38(3): 255–267
6. Harvard Health Publishing. “Why Stress Causes People to Overeat.” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health Publishing.
7. “Sweet Snacks Could Be Best Medicine For Stress.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 28 Nov. 2005.
8. “Does Sugar Relieve Stress?” Men's Journal, 4 Dec. 2017.
9. Bruno, Karen. “The Stress-Depression Connection | Can Stress Cause Depression?” WebMD, WebMD.
10. QU, Inam, et al. “Effects of sugar rich diet on brain serotonin, hyperphagia and anxiety in animal model of both genders.” NCBI PubMed, 29 May 2016.
11. Koekkoek, Laura, et al. “Glucose-Sensing in the Reward System.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, 19 Dec. 2017.
12. M. Rockwell Parker, Dianna Feng, Brianna Chamuris, Robert F. Margolskee. “Expression and nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in type 2 taste receptor cells.” Neuroscience Letters, 2014.
13. “Stress Hormone Receptors Localized in Sweet Taste Cells.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 3 June 2014.
14. Hofmann, Stefan G., et al. “The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-Analyses.” Cognitive Therapy and Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Oct. 2012.
15. Leichsenring, Falk. “Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy the Gold Standard for Psychotherapy?” JAMA, American Medical Association, 10 Oct. 2017.
16. DISCLAIMER: Because each body is somewhat chemically unique, and because each person will have a unique mix of symptoms and underlying factors, recovery results may vary. Variances can occur for many reasons, including due to the severity of the condition, the ability of the person to apply the recovery concepts, and the commitment to making behavioral change.