If you've ever experienced the throbbing discomfort of a sucralose headache, you’ll know just how awful the pain can be. Whether you're a regular consumer of sucralose or try to avoid it, getting a headache after drinking something with sucralose can be a real nuisance.
Not only can sucralose cause headaches, but it also comes with other potential health issues and side effects that are best avoided. So, how can you prevent sucralose causing headaches?
In this article, we’ll discuss sucralose and headaches, and help you understand how to get rid of a sucralose headache. We’ll even show you some alternatives to this sweetener that will mean you never have to deal with an excruciating headache from sucralose ever again!
Can Sucralose Cause Headaches?
First of all, can sucralose cause headaches or migraines? Unfortunately, yes. For many people, a headache from sucralose is something they have to deal with every time they consume this sweetener.
But why do you get a headache after drinking something with sucralose? How does sucralose cause headaches, and what else can you expect from this sweetener besides a sucralose headache?
Why Does Sucralose Cause Headaches?
Why does sucralose cause headaches, exactly? The link between sucralose and headaches primarily revolves around its impact on the body's nervous system and chemical composition.
So, why do you get a headache after drinking something with sucralose? Firstly, sucralose is many times sweeter than regular sugar, and this intense sweetness may lead to disruptions in brain chemistry.
When your taste receptors detect this extreme sweetness, it sends signals to your brain, potentially triggering changes in neurotransmitter levels. These alterations can sometimes contribute to headaches.
Another reason for sucralose causing headaches is its effect on our natural insulin response. Although sucralose itself doesn't contain calories or affect blood sugar levels directly, the perception of sweetness can stimulate an insulin response.
This can result in a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, leading to a headache, especially in individuals who are sensitive to fluctuations in their blood sugar. It also means that sucralose isn’t a good option for those with blood sugar-related conditions, like diabetics.
Finally, some people may have sensitivities or allergies to sucralose or its additives. Intolerance to artificial sweeteners symptoms can manifest as headaches. These headaches may occur from sucralose or aspartame, or other artificial sweeteners.
Other Sucralose Side Effects Beyond Headaches
Not only does sucralose cause headaches, but it can lead to other side effects, including:
- Gastrointestinal distress like bloating, gas, cramps, and diarrhea
- An altered gut microbiome, potentially affecting overall gut health
- Increased sweet cravings
- A negative impact on your metabolism, including weight gain and insulin resistance
So, if you’re dealing with a headache from sucralose, or any of the other side effects we’ve mentioned here, what can you do about it? Let’s take a look at how to get rid of a sucralose headache safely and effectively.
How to Get Rid of a Sucralose Headache: Tips for Overcoming Headaches From Sucralose
Wondering how to get rid of a sucralose headache? Fortunately, there are strategies you can employ to find relief in the short term and prevent a sucralose side effects headache from recurring in the future. Here’s how to get rid of a sucralose headache.
Immediate Remedies for Relief
When you're in the middle of a sucralose headache, nothing matters other than finding some relief from the splitting pain in your head. For immediate pain relief, try:
- Hydration: Drinking plenty of water can help dilute any sucralose in your system and alleviate the headache
- Pain relievers: Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be effective in alleviating headache pain
- Rest and relaxation: Finding a quiet, dark room to rest in and practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation may help ease your pain
Once you understand how to get rid of a sucralose headache, it’s important to take steps to understand sucralose and headaches and help prevent headaches from sucralose in the future.
Flushing Sucralose From Your System
To get rid of a headache from sucralose, you need to make sure the sucralose you’ve consumed is removed from your system. Start by drinking more water, which can help flush sucralose from your system more quickly.
Consuming fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can also aid in digestion and help your body eliminate sucralose. At the same time, moderate exercise can stimulate digestion and promote the excretion of sucralose.
Long-Term Solutions to Prevent Sucralose Headaches
Preventing sucralose headaches in the long term usually involves making some changes to your diet and lifestyle. The best way to prevent a sucralose side effects headache is to eliminate sucralose from your diet completely.
To do this, you’ll need to carefully check food labels and avoid items with sucralose. It’s commonly found in baked goods, low-sugar beverages, and many different snacks, but it’s a good idea to check all labels as sucralose can hide in unexpected places.
As well as eliminating sucralose from your diet, think about reducing or eliminating other artificial sweeteners from your diet as well, as drinks without erythritol, aspartame, stevia, and other sweeteners have all been linked with various health concerns.
How much stevia is too much? Given that this sweetener can cause headaches like sucralose, the bitter stevia taste is something you should avoid. And, does stevia cause weight gain? Yes, stevia has been linked with an increase in BMI and waist size - the main thing it was designed to avoid!
Does aspartame cause inflammation? Unfortunately, yes. Other sweeteners like aspartame can cause inflammation, headaches, digestive issues, and a range of other side effects that are best avoided.
Managing a Sucralose-Free Diet
As you can see, the best way to deal with sucralose and headaches is to eliminate sucralose (and other artificial sweeteners) from your diet. Managing a sucralose-free diet is pretty simple, especially once you find some healthy alternatives that don’t cause a sucralose side effects headache.
Grocery Shopping Tips
Transitioning to a sucralose-free diet begins with your choices at the grocery store. Make sure you read ingredient labels carefully, as sucralose can hide under various names, including its brand name Splenda.
Whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains are naturally free of sucralose. Base your meals around these items to reduce your exposure to sucralose and other artificial sweeteners.
When it comes to snacks and treats, you don’t have to completely remove these from your diet! Instead, find options that don’t contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose. If you’re wondering where to start, we have you covered right here at Oobli!
At Oobli, we use sweet proteins to create low-sugar snacks that are healthy, safe, and delicious! Sweet proteins are unique compounds that are naturally found in certain tropical fruits. Because they’re up to 5,000 times sweeter than sugar, only a tiny amount is needed to give a sweet taste.
One of the benefits of sweet proteins is that they’re actually good for you! Unlike artificial sweeteners, which lead to headaches (and worse), sweet proteins contain antioxidants, are anti-inflammatory, and actually do your body good with every bite.
How are sweet proteins made? At Oobli, we use a fermentation process to naturally produce our sweet proteins, similar to how wine, beer, and cheese are made. This means that sweet proteins as a sugar substitute are also better for the environment, saving both water and land.
We’ve harnessed the natural goodness of sweet proteins to bring you low-calorie drinks without aspartame, sucralose or other artificial sweeteners. Our low sugar tea is a delicious way to avoid sucralose and headaches, with each 16 oz can containing just 7 g of natural sugars!
As well as bringing you the best low-sugar drinks, we also have decadent chocolate bars. Our low-sugar, high-fiber dark chocolate is vegan, keto-friendly, and available in a few different delicious flavors for you to try.
The best part about Oobli is that our products only contain a few ingredients. Nothing you don’t need, nothing you can’t pronounce, and nothing that will cause headaches or other unwanted side effects. Just sweet, natural, deliciousness!
Advice When Dining Out
Controlling what’s in your pantry is one thing, but how do you avoid sucralose and headaches when you’re dining out? Firstly, check out the menu before you go to a restaurant.
Many restaurants now provide their menus online. Take advantage of this by reviewing the menu and looking for dishes that are likely to be free of sucralose, or contact the restaurant ahead of time to inquire about their ingredients and cooking methods.
When dining out, don't hesitate to inform your server about your sucralose-free dietary requirements. They can relay this information to the kitchen staff, who can help accommodate your needs.
If a dish contains sucralose, ask if it can be modified or substituted to meet your dietary preferences. Many restaurants are willing to accommodate special requests.
Be cautious with salad dressings. Many dressings, sauces, and marinades can often contain sucralose. Request these items on the side or ask for alternatives, like olive oil and vinegar, to control what goes on your plate.
Final Thoughts on How to Get Rid of a Sucralose Headache
While there are steps you can take to treat a sucralose side effects headache, the best way to stop your head from hurting is to avoid sucralose and headaches altogether.
Not only can sucralose cause headaches, but it comes with a range of other unwanted side effects and other health issues like inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, and potentially even cancer.
If you get a headache after drinking something with sucralose, it might be time to eliminate sucralose and other artificial sweeteners from your diet. Luckily, Oobli makes it a lot easier to move on from artificial sweeteners - you won’t even miss them!
With Oobli, you can enjoy delicious sweet treats without having to worry about sucralose and headaches. Thanks to the natural power of sweet proteins, you can enjoy low-sugar treats that won’t leave your head pounding.
Try sweetness the smarter way: shop Oobli today!