How to Beat A Sugar Hangover During The Holidays

The holidays are a time for joy, celebration, and—let’s be honest—a little indulgence. But after one too many slices of pie or a seemingly innocent candy binge, you might find yourself waking up with what feels like a sugar hangover. The grogginess, energy crash, and overall blah feeling can make it hard to enjoy the season. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to let sugar derail your festive spirit. In this article, we’ll explore simple, science-backed strategies to help you bounce back, feel energized, and stay balanced—even after overindulging.

What Is a Sugar Hangover?

A sugar hangover is that all-too-familiar sluggish, foggy feeling you might get after indulging in too many holiday treats. Think of it as the sugar version of a late-night party aftermath—complete with fatigue, brain fog, irritability, bloating, and maybe even a headache. These symptoms come down to how your body processes sugar.

When you eat sweets, your body absorbs glucose quickly, giving you an instant energy boost. To keep things in check, your pancreas releases insulin to help your cells absorb the glucose, which powers your muscles and tissues. 

But this insulin response can cause a subsequent drop in blood sugar levels, leading to a “sugar crash” that leaves you feeling tired or hungry. Overindulge, and this crash can be even more intense, leaving you totally drained and possibly with a headache.¹

Fructose, the other common sugar culprit, takes a different route in your body. It heads to the liver, where it’s converted into glucose, lactate, and fatty acids. Unlike glucose, fructose doesn’t contribute to feelings of fullness. Instead, it ramps up hunger signals in your brain, increasing your drive to eat, even when your body doesn’t need more food.²

Additionally, fructose makes food seem more rewarding, reinforcing cravings and often leading to overeating. This cycle can make it harder to break free, contributing to the energy crashes and sluggishness that follow a sugar binge.³

And then there’s your brain, which gets a big dopamine boost from sugar, making it even harder to stop at just one cookie. Speaking of your brain, maintaining stable blood glucose levels is essential for optimal cognitive function, as fluctuating sugar levels can impair focus and mental clarity.⁴

All of this adds up to energy crashes, cravings, and that blah, out-of-it feeling we call a sugar hangover. But don’t worry—we’ve got tips to help you recover and get back to feeling your best!

How to Feel Better After Eating Too Much Sugar?

After indulging in sugar, it’s important to refocus and take steps that can help stabilize your blood sugar and balance your energy. Instead of stressing over your indulgence, shift your attention to actions that can support your body in processing the sugar more effectively. Here are some tips to help you feel better after a sugar-filled treat.

Release Any Guilt

Step one: let the guilt go. You ate the treat (or maybe a few too many—no judgment here), and hopefully, you enjoyed every bite. Now, there’s no turning back. Holding onto guilt will only make you feel worse.  

A study looked at how linking chocolate cake with either guilt or celebration affects eating habits and mood, especially when stress and emotions are involved. Participants were asked whether they saw chocolate cake as something to feel guilty about or celebrate. Those who felt guilty about eating chocolate cake tended to have unhealthier eating habits and felt less in control of their food choices, particularly when stressed or feeling down.⁵

So, when you find yourself overeating sugar during the holidays, try not to attach guilt to the indulgence. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy treats without judgment. Instead of stressing over it, focus on getting back on track. If you’re feeling a little off, take a moment to relax, breathe, and reset your mood—rather than reaching for more sugary snacks. 

Managing stress with simple techniques like deep breathing or a short walk can help restore your sense of control, making it easier to make healthier choices moving forward, which brings us to the next step.

Go for a Walk

After you’ve overdone it with sugar, go for a walk. Preferably as soon as possible. Light exercise, like a brisk 30-minute walk, can help regulate blood sugar levels after a sugar-filled indulgence. A study found that people who took a walk after eating experienced lower blood sugar levels than those who stayed seated.⁶

In the study, participants ate meals with varying amounts of carbs and then either walked or remained still. The results showed that walking consistently reduced blood sugar. For example, after a smaller meal, blood sugar dropped by about 32 mg/dL (1.80 mmol/L) after walking, and after a larger meal, it decreased by around 28 mg/dL (1.53 mmol/L). 

So, a simple post-meal walk can help your body manage sugar more effectively, making it a great way to ease the effects of sugar overindulgence.

Drink Black Tea

Not only is drinking tea a great way to relax, but it can also help after you’ve overdone it on sugar. A study looked at how black tea affects blood sugar after eating sugar, and the results are pretty interesting.

In the study, participants drank a sucrose solution along with either a low or high dose of black tea or a placebo. The researchers found that both doses of black tea helped lower blood glucose levels compared to the placebo, keeping blood sugar levels more balanced after the sugary treat.⁷

So, if you’ve indulged a little too much, sipping on some black tea might help settle things down and give you a little relief. It’s a simple, calming way to help your body feel more balanced and get back on track after a sugar binge.

Stay Hydrated

If you know you’re going to indulge a little extra, staying hydrated is a good first step. One study looked at how hydration affects sugar processing in a group of mostly Mexican American participants.

In the study, healthy adults had their blood sugar tested after drinking a sugary beverage. The researchers also checked hydration levels by measuring certain substances in their blood. What they found was interesting: more dehydrated people had higher blood sugar levels after drinking the sugary drink, suggesting that staying hydrated could help your body handle sugar a little better.⁸

But timing is key! Drinking a lot of water right after eating something sugary might cause your blood sugar to spike more. In another study, participants ate a jelly-filled doughnut and drank water at different times—either with the doughnut, before, after, or even after a second doughnut. Researchers then tracked their blood sugar levels for a couple of hours.⁹

Those who drank water with the doughnut had a bigger spike in blood sugar than the other groups. This suggests that when you drink water—whether it’s with your meal or after—can impact how your blood sugar rises.

Eat Plenty of Protein and Fiber 

Eating protein and fiber when you’ve overdone it on sugar can help stabilize your blood sugar levels and reduce the negative effects of the sugar spike. Protein slows down the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, preventing the sharp spikes and crashes that typically follow a sugary meal.¹⁰ Fiber, especially soluble fiber, also slows sugar absorption, allowing your body more time to process it and keeping blood sugar levels steady.¹⁰

Both protein and fiber promote feelings of fullness, helping curb the hunger and cravings that often follow a sugar binge. They regulate appetite by affecting hormones controlling hunger, making it easier to resist reaching for sugary snacks.

Here are a few simple tips for choosing desserts with protein or fiber from the dessert table:

Mini cheesecakes or cheese platters: Look for mini cheesecakes or cheese options served with fresh fruit or nuts. The cheese provides protein and fat, while the fruit adds fiber.

Fruit with yogurt or cream: The fiber from the fruit and the protein from the yogurt can help balance your blood sugar.

Dark chocolate with almonds or other nuts: Dark chocolate squares often come with added nuts that provide fiber and protein. These can be a satisfying and more balanced option than pure sugary treats.

Coconut macaroons: Coconut is high in fiber.

Mini fruit tarts with nuts or seeds: Some fruit tarts might include a nutty crust or topping. These options can give you the sweetness you’re craving while providing fiber and a little protein from the nuts or seeds.

Gravitating toward these options, you can enjoy the festive treats without the sharp blood sugar spikes often caused by purely sugary desserts.

Or consider bringing your own dessert, like these mini chocolate cheesecakes. 

A Little Extra Help for Sugar Overindulgence

If you’re looking for an extra layer of support in optimizing your blood sugar response after meals, a supplement like our favorite, Berberine Breakthrough, can be a great addition to your routine. It combines herbs and nutrients designed to help maintain blood sugar control already within normal ranges. It works by helping your body process glucose more effectively and directing carbohydrates to your muscles for energy rather than storing them as fat. 

References:

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3. Payant MA, Chee MJ. Neural mechanisms underlying the role of fructose in overfeeding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021;128:346-357. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.034
4. Gillespie KM, White MJ, Kemps E, Moore H, Dymond A, Bartlett SE. The impact of free and added sugars on cognitive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2023;16(1):75. doi:10.3390/nu16010075
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6. Bellini A, Nicolò A, Bazzucchi I, Sacchetti M. The effects of postprandial walking on the glucose response after meals with different characteristics. Nutrients. 2022;14(5):1080. doi:10.3390/nu14051080
7. Butacnum A, Chongsuwat R, Bumrungpert A. Black tea consumption improves postprandial glycemic control in normal and pre-diabetic subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2017;26(1):59-64. doi:10.6133/apjcn.112015.08
8. Apaflo J, Labadah J, Narvaez G, Rocha VM, Mossayebi A, Bajpeyi S. 600-P: Higher hydration status is indicative of better glucose tolerance. Diabetes. 2023;72(Supplement_1). doi:10.2337/db23-600-p
9. Bipat R, Toelsie JR. Drinking water with consumption of a jelly filled doughnut has a time dependent effect on the postprandial blood glucose level in healthy young individuals. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2018;27:20-23. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2018.07.007
10. Giuntini EB, Sardá FAH, de Menezes EW. The effects of soluble dietary fibers on glycemic response: An overview and futures perspectives. Foods. 2022;11(23):3934. doi:10.3390/foods11233934