Why does sugar help my chronic pain?
Jul. 16th, 2019 01:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrSince my google-fu has failed me.
Something I've noticed when I'm having very bad pain days is that one of the biggest things that helps (other than painkillers and rest) is sugar, carbs, and salt, either individually or together. This works even when I'm not especially hungry.
Sodium affecting pain, especially in cfs, seems to be well known, and since salt has no major side effects I just eat as much as I need. (I know it can raise cholestorol, and mine is a little high, but being in excruciating pain seems like a worse thing for me in the short and long term)
But I can't find any information online about sugar immediately affecting chronic pain, and it's long term effect is supposed to be to make it worse. In general, sugar can make me get hyper then crash, or feel nauseous, and is bad for my teeth etc. Also it's delicious, so sometimes when I think "Mmm sugar!" it's just that I want the taste. So I'd like to figure out how it's affecting me to be able to use it efficiently.
I've tried looking this up but just got information about (a) low blood sugar (which doesn't seem to cause pain?) (b) foods that affect chronic inflammatory pain in the long term (and sugar makes it worse)
I guess it could be low blood sugar, the symptoms would be masked by my cfs (which is generally kicking in badly on high pain days) But all the symptom lists I can find don't even mention pain except as a sign of high blood sugar associated with diabetes (which I don't have)
Oh well. Even if I don't understand WHY it works, it's good that it is does. I was so sore I could barely roll over to turn on the radio, but after I dragged myself to the kitchen to make a vegemite sandwich I felt well enough to write this. Time to go eat a packet of Peckish Original Rice Crackers, which have a nice mix of carbs salt and sugar that works well and is also tasty.
Does anyone know anything helpful? Anyone else experienced something similar?
Something I've noticed when I'm having very bad pain days is that one of the biggest things that helps (other than painkillers and rest) is sugar, carbs, and salt, either individually or together. This works even when I'm not especially hungry.
Sodium affecting pain, especially in cfs, seems to be well known, and since salt has no major side effects I just eat as much as I need. (I know it can raise cholestorol, and mine is a little high, but being in excruciating pain seems like a worse thing for me in the short and long term)
But I can't find any information online about sugar immediately affecting chronic pain, and it's long term effect is supposed to be to make it worse. In general, sugar can make me get hyper then crash, or feel nauseous, and is bad for my teeth etc. Also it's delicious, so sometimes when I think "Mmm sugar!" it's just that I want the taste. So I'd like to figure out how it's affecting me to be able to use it efficiently.
I've tried looking this up but just got information about (a) low blood sugar (which doesn't seem to cause pain?) (b) foods that affect chronic inflammatory pain in the long term (and sugar makes it worse)
I guess it could be low blood sugar, the symptoms would be masked by my cfs (which is generally kicking in badly on high pain days) But all the symptom lists I can find don't even mention pain except as a sign of high blood sugar associated with diabetes (which I don't have)
Oh well. Even if I don't understand WHY it works, it's good that it is does. I was so sore I could barely roll over to turn on the radio, but after I dragged myself to the kitchen to make a vegemite sandwich I felt well enough to write this. Time to go eat a packet of Peckish Original Rice Crackers, which have a nice mix of carbs salt and sugar that works well and is also tasty.
Does anyone know anything helpful? Anyone else experienced something similar?
