5 ms·
fwiw... if sugar gives you a headache, this may be related to a gastrointestinal issue (e.g. gluten sensitivity, dietary histamine sensitivity, small intestina
by maddie0 22d ago
fwiw...
if sugar gives you a headache, this may be related to a gastrointestinal issue (e.g. gluten sensitivity, dietary histamine sensitivity, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth possibly causing its own sensitivities...) The specifics of the cause in your case are between you and your doctor, but i'd like more people to know, especially since these sorts of problems disproportionately affect people with autism and ADHD, long a core Hacker News demographic, and most of us have trouble paying attention to everything our body is feeling in exquisite detail.
other signs of digestive problems in this area may include:
- a pattern of early-afternoon fatigue and brain fog (this is mediated by histamine, which in turn can be caused by a food allergy, a non-allergy food sensitivity, bacteria in the stomach that don't belong there, or the like)
- feeling generally flushed and hot after eating food (more histamine!)
- waking up in the middle of the night, ~4am, especially if you're feeling too hot (also a sign of excess histamine)
- often having an upset stomach, and lots of stomach acid
- increased sensitivity to heat or exercise (mast cell degranulation because your body is already on edge)
- generalized hard-to-place fatigue, brain fog, depression (the whole histamine-response pathway is shot through with various neurotransmitters)
- serious nasal congestion contributing to sleep apnea, and extreme fatigue
now, this is going to be different from person to person, but your doctor's not going to know anything's wrong if you don't tell them!
(and if something like this is the case, it's also the sort of condition that might sometimes has an instant miracle cure, because if you stop releasing the feel-bad neurotransmitters every time you eat, then you suddenly stop feeling terrible!! go figure.)
- sirsinsalot 21d agoThis is all true. My ADHD is hugely related to and impacted by diet. I also get headaches, brain fog, and all of the above if I eat gluten. Bodies are fun.
- jamiek88 22d agoWoah. I have ADHD and most of these symptoms.
- yuriks 22d ago> it's also the sort of condition that might sometimes has an instant miracle cure I assume that by this you mean figuring out some kind of dietary restriction? I also struggle with a lot of those things (also ADHD) plus other inflammation-related issues (ezcema), and noticed a very specific pattern of fatigue during the day that improves at night. It's hard to tell what might be effective or not since keeping stability in my routine is a struggle, but I've mostly came up empty on explanations/solutions so far.
- smj-edison 22d agoTbh those sound more like Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) symptoms...
- sirsinsalot 21d agoNot really. I have the above and my partner has pots/mcas. They're nothing alike.
- agumonkey 21d agono actually reducing food intake and going low sugar / more veggies made most of this almost disappear