Halloween is only a few days away, and that means soon you’ll be handing out candy or sifting through your child’s basket when they leave it on the counter. Indulging your sweet tooth every once in a while typically won’t leave you any worse for the wear, but overeating sugary sweets can certainly cause problems, especially if you’re dealing with a chronic pain condition. Below, with the Halloween holiday in mind, we take a closer look at how sugar can make your chronic pain worse.

Chronic Pain And Sugar

Sugar can complicate a number of different chronic pain issues, and here’s how:

Pro-Inflammatory – Sugar is a pro-inflammatory within the body. When we eat sugar, our bodies release insulin and stress hormones. These stress hormones can then elicit an inflammatory response from our body. During an inflammatory response, white blood cells can accumulate in our joints, leading to swelling, redness, tenderness and loss of flexibility. This swelling can also end up compressing nerves that could be the source of your chronic pain.

Chronic Inflammation – Not only can sugar cause an inflammatory response within your body that can lead to chronic pain, but excess sugar consumption can also lead to chronic inflammation throughout your body. Acute inflammation can cause discomfort in the moment, but if your body starts to crave sugar and you regularly give into these urges, inflammation can start to become chronic as sugar becomes a normal part of your diet. Controlling your sugar intake is key to combating chronic inflammation.

Impacted Immune Response – Research has shown that excess sugar consumption can lead to a suppressed immune system response as yeast and bacteria feed off this sugar. An overactive immune response can cause a number of issues, but so too can a suppressed immune system. If your body can’t fight off infections and bacteria, you can become sick more often, which can lead to inflammation and joint pain.

Increased Stress – Sugar can end up raising your blood pressure level, which causes the body to pump out adrenaline and epinephrine. These hormones can be helpful during physical activity, but they can also make you feel more irritable and anxious. Anxiety and mental anguish can increase pain sensations, making your chronic pain feel worse.

The good news is that if you’re mindful about your sugar consumption, you can prevent the compound from complicating your chronic pain issues. That can be particularly challenging around Halloween, but do what you can to limit your intake and remove sweet treats from the home once the holiday is in the rearview mirror! The longer that candy sits on the kitchen counter, the easier it is to grab a piece or two every time you walk by. Limit your sugar intake, get regular exercise and drink plenty of water, and we’re confident that you can keep sugar from causing problems for your chronic pain condition.

And for more hands-on help with a chronic pain issue, reach out to Dr. Cohn and his team today at 952-738-4580.