Can High Blood Sugar Cause Headaches

can high blood sugar cause headaches

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Tension is great if you’re tuning a drum, but much else of the time too much tension is problematic and that is true if it’s between your ears. Tension headaches are the most common type of headaches and if you do get one you can be thankful it’s not a migraine. Those are two totally different tangents, but among the most common causes of headaches are stress and sleep deprivation. People get blood glucose from the foods they eat, and it is diabetics most likely who will be asking can high blood sugar cause headaches.

Elevated blood sugar levels can cause headaches, and sugar headaches are a possibility if you orally ingest too much sugar at once. But high blood sugar is hyperglycemia – high blood sugar and low blood sugar is hypoglycemia. A headache from low blood sugar is more common than headache from high blood sugar and diabetics can be hypoglycemic with low blood sugar too. So can high blood sugar cause headaches? It can, but it is not as common. Why that happens in either instance is due to changes in levels to two very active hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Epinephrine is used to treat anaphylaxis and severe allergic reactions among other cases, and that in some ways explains why rapidly elevated epinephrine and a drop in norepinephrine can mean a headaches because of blood sugar. Epinephrine boosts blood pressure and your heart rate, and that’s the connection between it and major headache pain episodes. Blood vessels to the brain are constricted.

Temple of the Damned  

That’s overly dramatic if we’re talking about headaches in any way or discussing can high blood sugar cause headaches, but the reason we use the word temple is people who have headaches because blood sugar tend to feel them most in their temples. Many people will know where that is, but they won’t know that is where 4 bones of the skull come together and this physiology fact is why pain is able to radiate there as strongly as it does when you have a TMJ headache

Headaches of any sort can be less severe if you use an OTC headache medication like Ibuprofen (Tylenol) or Acetaminophen (Aspirin), and that will include for a hyperglycemia headache. But high blood sugar is always harmful so even if you’re diabetic or not you may want to know signs of hyperglycemia that may allow you to make the connection between high blood sugar and headaches and the possibility of prediabetes. Only a doctor can make that determination of course, but it can be the sign you need to make an appointment with one.

Blood sugar spikes don’t have to be connected to insulin deficiency (type 1 diabetes) or insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes) though, you can have a headache from blood sugar just because of having too much sugar, and keep in mind too that a headache from a hangover will be worse if you were drinking sugar drinks the night before too. Can high blood sugar cause headaches? Yes, it can but there is more of a chance it’s happening because your blood sugar is too low.


IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.


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