What does sugar rush mean?

Answer 1

It is the short burst of energy you get from eating processed sugar (candy, cookies, cake, etc) - it will last about 30 minutes, then you get a "sugar downer" where you feel even more tired and groggy than before.

The reason for this is that processed sugars are already broken down into sugar, which your body needs for energy - but which the body is designed to get from digesting other foods! Instead of digesting the food normally and giving you long-lasting energy and nutrition, the processed sugars leave the stomach too quickly - your digestive system thinks you have eaten, so it slows you down as if you have had a huge meal, but in reality, you have nothing but a little sugar, so you feel tired, groggy, and maybe even nauseated!

During the "rush" your heart beats faster and you feel more energetic, but then you feel bad when it wears off.

This is why it's best to eat complex carbohydrates like fruits, which take a few minutes longer to break down, but which give you longer-lasting energy and no "downer."

Here's some information from an exercising (running) magazine:

Don't Take a Dump!

Dumping is a physiological reaction to the consumption of too
much simple or refined sugar. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting,
sweating, faintness and palpitations, increased heart rate and hypotension.

Simple sugars exiting the stomach too rapidly, attract fluid into the upper intestine--your blood fluid volume decreases as it attempts to absorb the sugar. Pre- and post-exercise, use complex carbs, plus protein and fat to ensure a slow emptying of the stomach.

While exercising, take sugar in a five percent solution to avoid dumping syndrome. Avoid those super drinks or power drinks which flood the market--the sugar solution is too concentrated.

Any drink with an action verb probably has too much sugar. The worst offender is 'goos' and 'goops'--the quick fix of sugar for long runs. The 80 to 100 calories will only give you a mile of energy, yet you have several thousand in your fat stores. The goop will raise your heart rate by twenty per minute...which should be a big enough clue for you to realize it's bad for you.

Fluid races from your blood vessels--you are less able to lose heat; the heart works harder due to the increased viscosity; you've given yourself an instant dehydration affect. Unless you also consume several cups of water, the goop will have deleterious effects on performance.