Does Sugar Make Kids Hyper? 5 Reasons Why Your Child Has a Sugar High
Does sugar really make kids hyper?
Does your child seem to go bonkers and bounce off the walls every time they have something with sugar in it?
If so you're not alone. This can be even more apparent when you're cooped up with a quarantined kid who's got cabin fever and is going stir crazy. Am I right?
A majority of parents observe a concerning trend between sugar intake and their child’s behavior, where an increase in sugar consumption seems to lead to hyperactivity.
Interestingly, research has found that there is no direct causation between a child's sugar consumption and hyperactivity.
So what gives? What might be the reason behind your child's outlandish behavior that's triggered every time they eat something sweet?
This is important to unpack because it challenges the notion that sugar is the culprit for bad behavior or that sugar is somehow the enemy here. These beliefs can influence fear based feeding tactics that can actually backfire with kids.
For example, you might feel inclined to limit your children’s sugar intake because you don’t want it to have a negative effect on their behavior.
Here’s another question that I get from parents I work with:
“I don’t want to restrict candy from my kids but every time I feed it to them they go crazy with it.”
Have you ever wondered about this question yourself?
This is a common concern I hear from many parents who are worried about how sugar consumption might affect their children.
Most of the parents I chat with can agree on these things: They want their children to enjoy sweets and treats. On the other hand, they are terrified about what eating sugar seems to do to their kids.
Take a child’s birthday party, for example. I can tell you what might be happening as the dynamic between parents, kids, and sweets seems to unfold.
There may be candy, cupcakes, and ice cream - oh, my!
It’s almost like the kids can sniff it all out before they even get there.
Like a perfectly timed trigger, the excitement is off the charts.
Can kids be expected to contain their excitement, though?
Parents might feel frantic in their attempts to prevent the hyperactivity that inevitability seems to come with an influx of sugar.
“They’re bouncing off the walls!”
“Someone cut them off from those cupcakes before one of these kids gets hurt!”
“This is sure to end in a meltdown later today.”
“That’s enough candy for you - you’re out of control!”
I hear these types of comments all the time.
It’s often assumed that eating sugar will trigger hyperactivity - a sugar “high” for lack of better words.
But is there truth behind this? Is it the sugar itself that actually causes kids to “act out” disruptively? To behave in a way that seems that they’ve lost all sense of control over themselves?
Many people assume this to be true. Not to mention that diet culture has perpetuated these harmful claims around sugar. That eating sugar makes kids wildly insane - uncontrollable. That to prevent this outrageous behavior, the best thing is to avoid giving any sugar to your kids at all costs.
Seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it?
Not if you’re a parent who’s worried about dealing with a pack of hyperactive kids.
But is restricting sugar an effective strategy?
Like all things, there’s always more than what there seems to be, especially on the surface level.
When we peel the layers away, we can see more factors at play.
From my experience, both personally as a mama of 5, and professionally, as a registered dietitian that specializes in child feeding, I can confidently tell you with confidence that sugar is not the enemy.
Contrary to popular opinion, sugar is not, in fact, toxic or poisonous. It’s not the culprit for your child’s behavior or obsession with sweets.
I’d also pushback on the whole idea that eating sweets causes a “sugar high” or that there is a direct causation between eating sugar and hyperactivity.
There’s always more to the story.
Let’s bust through some of these myths, shall we?
Because when there’s misinformation circulating around food or how to feed your kids, you’re likely going to be approaching this from a place of fear, and not trust.
If we can help clear up misconceptions, then you’ll be in a better position to more confidently feed your children and approach foods with sugar with more assurance that you’re doing the right thing to help raise healthy kids.
Ultimately, you want to raise kids who can self-regulate their sugar intake and grow up to have a healthy relationship with all foods.
This is going to be hard to do if certain foods, like sugar, are too tightly controlled for your child.
So let’s help you move from fear to freedom with feeding your kids.
Sugar High: Does Sugar Make Kids Hyper?
First, let’s talk about the obvious. Is a sugar high a real thing?
Most parents I talk to would tell me YES. That there’s no denying that kids seem to go “crazy” every time they eat candy or anything that’s remotely sweet.
While I’m not here to argue against any of these observations, I just want to help you move away from seeing sugar as the enemy that needs to be avoided or as the sole cause of behavior changes.
When parents see sugar as the culprit and root cause of their child’s behavioral problems, it actually causes parents to feed their kids from a place of fear.
Fear-based feeding tactics are almost always guaranteed to backfire and achieve the opposite effect from what you were intending to accomplish.
Does Sugar Cause Hyperactivity in Child?
Does sugar make kids hyper?
Many of us were raised with this type of narrative: Don’t eat too much sugar because it will make you hyper!
This idea is also something that is perpetuated by diet culture. So naturally, the solution to preventing hyper kids seems to rest on restricting the very thing that may be triggering the hyperactivity - SUGAR.
But is sugar even responsible for making kids hyper in the first place?
Let’s look at what some of the research shows about kids, sugar, and hyperactivity.
Interestingly, even though it has been widely suggested that there is a direct relationship between sugar intake and hyperactive behavior in children, research has NOT found this to be true.
Studies have shown that even when sugar intake exceeds typical dietary levels, sugar does not negatively affect children’s behavior or cognitive functioning.
These results have been consistent across multiple studies that sought to look at the effects of sugar on children’s overall behavior.
Why Does My Child Get Hyper After Eating Sugar?
So if the sugar-based foods themselves may not be the DIRECT cause of what’s triggering hyperactivity in kids, what gives?
There are actually other influencing factors on your child’s behavior after eating that have more to do with the foods themselves.
In my experience, this is what I’ve observed to be true. I’d love to share the top 5 reasons I’ve seen hyperactive behavior in children after eating sugar that go beyond the food itself:
5 Reasons Why Your Child Might Get a "Sugar High" That Go Beyond the Food Itself:
Messaging around kids and sugar and impact on parental beliefs:
The whole idea that sugar negatively affects a child’s behavior is widely circulated and talked about as though it is a fact, even though research would suggest otherwise.
This messaging is what’s promoted everywhere you look: school curriculums, doctors and dentist’s offices, mainstream media, etc.
These false messages about kids and sugar are largely impacting what parents think about children’s behavior.
One study found that commonly reported negative effects of sugar on children's behavior may be due to parental expectancies. In this study, mothers of 5 to 7-year-old boys were told their children would receive high doses of sugar.
Then, the mothers were asked to rate their children’s behavior.
With a surprise twist, all the boys were not actually given any sugar at all. However, the majority of mothers rated their sons’ behaviors as more hyperactive, even though the children weren’t given any sugar at all. The researchers concluded that parents who believe sugar impacts behavior will think their children have become more hyperactive after consuming sugary foods.
These results show the power of messaging on mindset, especially when it comes to parenting.
When we expect our kids to be more hyperactive, we tend to see the results we are expecting.
2. Language, how we talk to kids about sugar:
To piggy-back on the first point, the language our kids hear about their sugar intake also has an effect on their overall behavior.
And again, the things we say to our children are directly influenced by the messaging we hear and believe about the impact of sugar and behavior in our children.
For example, when we tell our kids, “You can’t eat that candy, you’ll be bouncing off the walls!”, or, “Eating ice cream makes you crazy, that’s enough for you!”, they begin to internalize these messages about their behavior.
Kids may be acting out because that is what THEY believe is expected of them. The language and choice of words we use around food with our kids has more of an influence on their behavior than we may realize.
3. Not enough exposure to sugar:
When I was a kid, my dad had a classic convertible Ford mustang. I’m not even into cars whatsoever, but this car was an exception. It was fun to ride in with the top down, and any time we got to sit in the backseat was a treat.
When I got my driver’s license, my dad would let me take his old mustang out for a drive every so often. It was exhilarating. Even though I was just driving around the neighborhood, I remember feeling like I was on cloud 9 with the top down and wind blowing my hair.
Going back to driving my old beat-up car made me long for it even more. Driving the mustang was definitely on the pedestal for me. So what does this have to do with your kids and sugar?
When kids know that something is GOOD (AKA sugary foods taste good and appeal to their senses) but they have restricted access to it, it automatically gets put on a pedestal for them.
What is put on a pedestal becomes MORE desirable.
When kids don’t get enough regular access to sweets, every sugar eating experience becomes exhilarating to the point of being intoxicating. This has a powerful effect on a child’s behavior, creating disruptions and disturbances.
For example, a child who gets access to sugar after being previously restricted may act out due to feelings of deprivation. A child may throw a tantrum, have a meltdown, or be hyperactive with excitement about a food that she doesn’t regularly get access to.
4. Sugar is only reserved for special occasions or rewards:
Similarly to the last point, if sweets are used as a reward or only seen on special occasions, this can create an emotional build up in kids that inevitability bubbles over in their behavior.
When they know that a birthday celebration or holiday party is going to include sweets and they don’t get access to these foods outside these occasions, this is going to create some serious excitement that builds up to the anticipated day.
When the day does finally come, there is so much pent-up energy that eventually explodes: a child’s behavior may be running high, but it’s been working up to this point for quite some time out of sheer anticipation.
Not to mention, outside of food alone, celebrations and gatherings with friends can be higher energy events, which can have an impact on a child’s overall behavior.
This same thing is true when sweets are used to reward children. If a child knows they will get a piece of candy or ice cream after completing a chore or for getting a good grade at school, this creates a build up of anticipation and excitement that inevitably explodes when they finally do get to eat the treat.
5. Children are picking up on your anxieties around sugar:
One of the last main reasons I see kids having erratic behavior when eating sweets or sugar is because they’re picking up on their parents’ anxieties around these foods.
Have you ever been in a room with someone who seemed anxious or stressed about something? How does that person’s energy make you feel?
We’re impacted by how others around us feel. Kids are the same exact way, even more so while their developing brains are almost hyper aware of our own emotions.
So if you’re feeling nervous or worried about your kids eating sugar, they are likely going to pick up on that. This isn’t intended to create shame or to make you feel guilty in ANY way. How you feel about your kids eating sugar is NOT your fault and is likely a culmination of many damaging societal messages around food.
Mainstream diet culture promotes the idea that if your kids eat a lot of sugar, they’re going to grow up to be unhealthy; thereby making you a bad parent.
I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. But it is these underlying messages that create anxiety and stress around kids eating sugar. Kids can feel this, and this inevitably impacts how they feel when eating these foods and their overall behavior as well.
What Causes Hyperactivity in Children?
There are also other factors that influence our children’s behaviors and periods of hyperactivity. I think it's also important to address that periodic bouts of hyperactivity in our children is NORMAL and not something to demonize.
Kids go through periods of having increased energy, and this can come across as hyperactivity.
It’s important to look at some of the other influencing factors that may play a part in your child’s overall energy levels on any given day.
Again, take note at how many of these factors don’t actually have to do with sugar intake:
Temperament
Stress
Sleep
Overall nutrition intake
Environmental stressors
Emotional regulation
Movement and activity
Learning disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
How You Can Help Prevent the Sugar High
So knowing these things, how can you help prevent the “sugar high” or the erratic behavior that might result when your kids eat something sweet or with sugar in it?
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Change your narrative around sweets: When it comes to your own beliefs and language around sweets, what is the main narrative that these are coming from? Is it one of fear? Is it a belief that your kids will automatically act out when eating sugar? Changing your thoughts and language can help you take a more neutral approach to these foods. In turn, this will help your kids be more relaxed about eating these foods as well.
Offer protein, fat with sugar-based foods (but don’t pressure your child to eat them): Including some protein and fat with simple carbohydrates and sugary foods can help stabilize your child’s blood sugar, as can eating more consistently throughout the day. (This is true for kids AND adults by the way). Many sweet foods do naturally have some fat/protein in them, like baked goods, ice cream, pudding, etc. Offering a glass of milk with candy can help your child get a balance of nutrients that support their energy and overall growth.
Serve desserts with scheduled meals and snacks: When you can offer desserts and sweets with regularly scheduled meals and snacks, you’re helping take these foods off the pedestal and make them more neutral for your children. This can also help them learn how to better self-regulate their intake and feel less obsessive about having sweets in the first place.
Decrease your anxiety around sugar: If you’ve identified that you have your own anxieties around your kids eating sugar, that is OKAY. Remember, these thoughts and feelings are not a bad thing. (Offer suggestions, ways to heal). You might let another caregiver eat these foods with your kids to help normalize the experience for them...
Include sweets more frequently: When your child doesn’t feel scarcity around sweets, they’ll feel more safe to leave them behind when they've reached a point of fullness or satisfaction. More frequent exposure is a powerful antidote to feelings of deprivation. You may need to offer them more frequently than you feel comfortable with, but this is an important part of habituation (or making it less exciting).
Most importantly, taking a more neutral stance and approach to sugar can help your children feel more relaxed with food and eating. This can support your children in developing a positive relationship with all foods.
I know that these times are especially difficult as we navigate parenting under these extraordinary circumstances.
Fear-based feeding tactics may seem like a short-term solution for maintaining some sense of control for your children; long-term, these are not helping support your kids in learning how to self-regulate all foods, especially sweets.
If you could use more support in this area, I’d love to invite you to check out my program below, Simplify Sweets Academy.
It is possible to approach sugar in a way that allows you and your child to feel confident handling any and all sweets. I’d love to guide you through this process.
What are your thoughts about this topic? What have you observed in your kids when it comes to their behavior after eating sugar?