Do you ever find yourself staring at the fridge at night, wondering, ” Why do I crave sweets at night?”

As the day winds down, many find themselves irresistibly drawn to sugary treats, a shared experience that can feel comforting and frustrating. Nighttime sugar cravings often emerge unexpectedly, leaving you wondering why they happen and how to address them.

Exploring the reasons behind these cravings can illuminate the path to overcoming them and offer practical remedies for regaining control.

The Eating Enlightenment Food Journal App can be invaluable for understanding and managing your cravings.

By helping you track eating patterns, identify triggers, and address emotional eating, it can help you cultivate healthier habits and achieve a more balanced approach to nutrition.

So, if you’re wondering how to stop binging on sweets, keep reading!

1 – Hungry During Day

This is the most common mistake and usually the #1 cause you’re craving sugar at night.

You haven’t eaten enough food during the day!

It’s the main reason why people crave sweets at night – because they haven’t eaten anything, or enough, all day.

For example, you are skipping breakfast, or only doing a hastily put together breakfast. 

• A lame bowl of cereal
• One muffin with coffee
• Skip entirely

Imagine if your whole day is filled with unsatisfying food?!

You also are probably not eating enough food at other times as well.

• Just a salad for lunch
• Working through lunch without eating
• Not eating snacks with protein throughout the day

Not getting enough nutrition happens to many people. It’s easy to forget to eat when you have work, family and friends taking up your time.

While supplements for general health can help you, it’s best to meet your body’s valid need for nutrition and satiety through a balanced diet.

But, what happens when you don’t eat enough during the day though? Or what happens if your body craves sugar?

If you don’t eat enough or get enough nutrients … you get a blood sugar crash.

Have you ever asked yourself, “why do I crave sugar after a nap?” Well, now you know!

A blood sugar crash is WHY you crave sugar at night, and oftentimes is the reason you’ll crave at random times during the day too.

All the other reasons listed on this post all come back to low blood sugar.

2 – Low Blood Sugar (Main Reason!)

One of the most common reasons that you wake up in the middle of night wanting something sweet is due to low blood sugar during the day.

In one study, for example, sleep researchers with the US National Library of Medicine monitored clients’ blood sugar levels while they slept.

When the clients woke up in the middle of the night, the sleep researchers were able to clearly identify the problem being crashing blood sugar levels.

When clients suddenly woke up with sweet cravings at night, their blood sugar levels had fallen off the cliff.

Why do crashing blood sugar levels wake you up at night?

When your blood sugar levels are low, your emotional brain turns on.

Your emotional brain is what I call your “Survival Brain.”

Your survival brain thinks you’re running out of fuel, so it wakes you up and gives you food cravings for something sweet, for example, chocolate cravings.

Sweet foods are easily digested into fuel, so that’s why your brain goes for sweets, instead of something else like chicken that takes longer to digest.

But just eating sweet foods makes things worse!

3 – Too Many Carbs

Sweet foods are usually carbs, and carbs are tricky. They temporarily make you feel full and satisfied. Plus, they taste good!

Who doesn’t like a bowl of sugary cereal?

But then, a few hours later, you’re driving on empty and scouring the shelves for more quick energy.

Low blood sugar!

Now, I also don’t want to demonize carbs and processed foods like fast food.

Eating carbs and processed foods are an important source of energy and they don’t deserve to be demonized like some diets do.

But too many nightly carby meals, especially when you’ve already eaten dinner earlier, can lead to those sugar cravings that start creeping up in the evening.

Your belly needs sustenance! Your stomach needs something solid!

Otherwise you’ll wake up at night starving craving sweets like a hungry coyote!

4 – Not Enough Protein And Fat

You can easily eat a lot of calories in one sitting but then have these calories be burned up and left hungry again by the next meal!

Let’s say you eat a big muffin for breakfast. You eat a few big slices of pizza for lunch. But still you get these cravings for sweets. What then?

Oftentimes, a craving for sweets is because you are eating too many carbs and not enough protein or fat.

Here’s how you can think about carbs versus protein and fat. 

• Carbs are like wood in a fire: they get ‘burned’ up and turned into calorie energy quickly.
• Protein and fat are like charcoal in a fire: they burn slowly for hours

What happens when you crave soda, drink your soda, and then ‘burn’ through all your carbs quickly?

You get a blood sugar spike and then a blood sugar crash.

Why am I suddenly craving sweets?

This blood sugar crash explains why you suddenly start to crave sweets.

Again, you are low on energy, even though it might seem like you just ate.

Remember that carbs are like fire. They burn up quickly. 

Here are some familiar carb sources:

• White bread/muffins/pasta/pizza
• Juices/soda
• Candy/sweets/coffee creamers
• Most protein bars

So when you primarily eat these carb sources and don’t get enough protein or fat, then you are left with sugar crashes. That’s why you crave dessert every night!

And again, as explained above, if your body is low on energy then it will make you crave for desserts to get it more energy.

Since sugar burns up quickly, this is why you suddenly start to crave sweets.

Your body’s blood sugar is suddenly low on energy, and your body wants to eat again.

Craving sugar means your body needs fuel. If you fuel your body with sugar, that fuel will get burned up quickly and you’ll be left craving soon again.

Fill up with protein, healthy fats, hydration, sleep, relaxation, and other long-lasting fuel sources, and the cravings will diminish.

5 – Dehydration

To feel satisfied, the brain needs a certain level of blood sugar.

When you don’t drink enough water during the day, your body pulls fluid from inside and dehydrates you. 

Since your brain requires water to function and send electrical signals this can make it difficult for your brain to send signals to tell you when it’s time to stop eating or drinking something sweet.

Many times people eat food because they crave the water in the food! It sounds crazy but even fast foods have water in them.

So if you’re constantly craving sweets at night, then think back towards how much water you had over the past few hours. 

If you’re thirsty or haven’t had water since, who knows when drink up.

Water hydrates and helps balance out electrolytes in the body. This is helpful if someone is experiencing cravings related to dehydration.

Alcohol also dehydrates the body, so if you want to eat more than usual at nighttime then be sure not to mix in any alcohol.

Ensuring your fluid intake is appropriate during the day will help with these sugar cravings!

6 – Too Much Stress

Too much stress is bad.

But most of the time, people living in modern society deal with something called chronic stress.

Chronic stress is where you are moderately stressed out but not usually overwhelmed.

For example, being available for email and text notifications at all hours of the day is unpredictable and slightly stressful.

All this stress adds up, and even worse, we often are accustomed to this stress level and don’t even notice it!

This is why chronic stress is also hidden stress. It’s there and impacting you, but not to the point where you consciously notice this stress.

Thus, chronic stress remains hidden. And then, at night, it rears its head!

Or … you keep tossing in turning at night … only to finally get so desperate your mind turns to sweet cravings to simply get out of having to toss and turn yet another time!

And stress can lead to other cravings, even bizarre cravings like ice!

Do you see how stress would make you always crave something sweet to distract yourself from the stress?

Why Stress Cortisol Leads to Cravings At Night

Cortisol blocks hunger and cravings and allows us to keep pushing to finish that workload, meet deadlines, fulfill family obligations, etc.

Your stress hormones block your hunger signals during the day because deep inside your brain, you believe that these deadlines are more important than eating.

Then later on at night when your blood sugar goes low, and the kids are asleep and the computer is off, the survival part of your brain finally activates with a vengeance.

Suddenly you’re like, “Why am I craving sweets all of a sudden?”

You were fine all day but now you can’t stop thinking about food!

What gives? It’s the stress previously blocking out the hunger is now gone, so the hunger is back now louder than ever before.

This is often the reason behind chocolate cravings, too!

7 – Lack of Sleep

Of course, if you’re sleeping poorly and waking up in the middle of the night, this will contribute to midnight snacking too!

Your blood sugar levels will also be hit if you don’t sleep well.

Your cortisol has been pumping all night as you experience the physical effects of stress and worry from tossing and turning.

Plus, you’re super tired the next day, which makes you more on edge.

In fact, research shows that even one sleepless night can have dramatic impacts on our hormones and appetite control!

So next time you’re having trouble sleeping, remember that it’s not just about getting more hours under your belt.

It’s also important to make sure you are able to sleep well because sleeping is critical for blood sugar levels and controlling hunger hormones!

Sugar cravings dramatically increase on a poor night of sleep!

A lack of sleep will throw off your hormones and make your brain think sweet foods are more ‘valuable’ than they really are.

It’s recommended that adults get around seven to eight hours of sleep every day.

I’m sure you’ve heard this statistic before so now it’s time to get honest with yourself. How many hours of sleep are you getting a night on average?

Don’t think you are one of the few people who can survive under 6 hours of sleep!

Yes, some people like Barack Obama don’t need much sleep. But 95% of people do need 7-8 hours of sleep and it’s best to assume you’re one of them!

If you have a habit of burning both ends of the candle, get a bunch of rest one day and see if your sugar craving goes down, too.

If you’re wondering about ‘why do I crave sweets at night’, then definitely pay attention to your sleep patterns!

8 – Loss of Willpower in the evening

Have you ever come home from work exhausted and stressed out?

Then your stress and racing mind, along with general fatigue, blocks out your hunger?

We spend our days using our mental strength and willpower.

By evening rolls around, we’ve spent so much energy that it feels like there’s none to cook something nutritious and nourishing.

So many people wake up at night wanting something sweet because they used all their willpower during the day and had no energy to prepare a balanced meal.

In this state, it feels like you have zero energy to make a nutritious meal. Eventually, you pass out until …

Your blood levels crash.

Consequently, your only option seems to be opening the freezer and eating whatever’s inside. You don’t have the energy or willpower to make healthy decisions.

With these reasons listed above, let’s talk about how to stop cravings for sugar in the middle of the night.

What if I get intense sugar cravings at night?

You can do a few things to help curb your sugar cravings at night.

• Avoid eating sugary foods earlier in the day.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help keep your body hydrated.
• Eat a balanced diet with healthy fats and proteins to help stabilize your blood sugar levels.
• Include some physical activity in your daily routine to help balance your hormones and regulate your blood sugar levels.
• Avoid eating processed foods, as they can trigger sugar cravings.
• Get enough sleep each night, as sleep deprivation can lead to increased sugar cravings.
• Manage stress levels, as stress can also lead to increased sugar cravings.
• Try crave-busting foods such as protein-rich foods or dark chocolate.
• Avoid sugary beverages, which can cause blood sugar spikes, leading to cravings.
• Use visualization and positive affirmations to help control your thoughts and crave-related behaviors.

With some effort, you can tame those sugar cravings at night!

Finally, if you absolutely cannot sleep and you think, “I want something sweet, but I have nothing on hand to eat,” then have some hot chocolate and milk for a soothing, sugary treat.

If you don’t have any available sweets and you are still craving them, eventually, you’ll give into temptation and do something stupid—like eat a whole ice cream container.

If you can give yourself some sweets in a soothing, mindful way, this can prevent a significant binge from happening.

How Do I Stop Sugar Cravings at Night?

Here is more comprehensive information for the above tips to stop craving late-night sweets!

Nutrition and blood sugar levels:

• Eat more during the day and less at night
• Eat real nutritious meals with protein, vegetables, and healthy carbs (like sweet potatoes)
• Don’t wait until you feel hungry to eat
• Prepare food so it’s ready when you don’t have energy or motivation!

Loss of willpower:

• See if you can walk while taking a phone call (my #1 tip!)
• Delegate tasks so you don’t have to do everything yourself
• Put your phone in another room when you get home from work!
• Practice self-compassion so that you don’t feel like everything depends on you

For stress:

• Prioritize sleep! Even if it’s just for one night, make sure you get a good night’s rest
• Schedule time to relax or take care of yourself without feeling guilty. You deserve to feel better!
• Practice meditation and mindfulness techniques that help you during the day, too. Why not start now?

Hydration during day

• Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
• If you’re thirsty, drink!
• Whenever you have a meal or snack, have a glass of water. This way, you can remember more easily!

For sleep:

• get dark shades for your room
• switch off all screens an hour before bedtime
• try a relaxing bath or reading instead of scrolling through social media
• try eating earlier so that there is more time between your last meal and getting into bed

What Should I Eat When I Crave Sugar? 

If you are craving sugary sweets, what I suggest you do is try having something sugary but slightly more fulfilling first:

• Fruit
• Chocolate protein bar
• Smoothie

Another good option is amino acids. Aminos can help with energy, and they can easily be stirred into your drink for more flavor while still hydrating.

If you instead have candy or another soda, you’ll just end up in the same spot you were.

And we all know that avoiding sugar entirely probably isn’t the long-term solution either. You’ll think about and crave sugar until you give in and eat some.

But having something sugary with a little more “substance” first gives your tongue that craving for sweets it desires.

You also give your body the other type of fuel that lasts longer.

Longer-term, the key is to make sure you find a variety of foods high in fiber and high in protein, like:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Meats
• Legumes, nuts, beans
• Whole grain carbs
• Healthy fats, olive oil

Again, taking a multivitamin for general health is never a bad idea, but eating lots of whole foods is the key.

These foods have bountiful energy, like sugar, that burns slowly instead of rapidly. 

Eat good meals regularly with these, including a healthy snack.

Before we wrap up, let me mention vitamin deficiencies since some people think this can be behind their cravings.  There’s a lot written elsewhere about vitamin deficiencies, so the critical point I want to make is:

There is no single specific vitamin deficiency that causes sugar cravings.

Instead, it’s a deficiency in whole foods and a bunch of deficiencies.

I hope this makes sense.

A good idea is to pinpoint the vitamins you’re deficient in. You can take a blood test for vitamin deficiency to see which vitamins, minerals, and other biomarkers you need to work on.

To summarize, if you are having sugar cravings, the best way to fight them is to:

• Indulge your sweet tooth with a healthier, sugary treat
• Eat a variety of healthy foods before you get to the point of high craving
• Take plenty of time for sleep
• Take time throughout the day to find stress relief 

Do vitamin deficiencies cause sugar cravings?

I know it’s tempting to say a vitamin deficiency causes your sugar cravings.

Wouldn’t it be friendly and easy if I told you your sugar cravings were all caused by a lack of Vitamin C?

If Vitamin C was the cause of your sugar cravings, all you would need is more oranges.

Friendly, straightforward, and easy to fix!

Unfortunately, sugar cravings are complex.

Normally, when it comes to weight loss, you’re given a simple tool like a diet. But this diet ends up being terrible for your long-term health and weight.

Same thing with vitamin deficiency. It’s more holistic than missing vitamins.

A combination of stress, not knowing how to handle stress, and not being connected to your body is causing your blood sugar levels to wildly fluctuate.

Is craving sweets a sign of diabetes? No!

Craving sweets is primarily a combination of:

• Lacking a variety of foods, eating too many carbs and sweets
• Blood sugar crashes
• Other emotional reasons

I hope this is clear. If you’re a diabetic craving sweets, please know that craving sweets is not a sign of diabetes or anything else other than the reasons listed above.

While diabetes is related to your blood sugar levels, sugar cravings are not a sign of diabetes.

Now, let’s briefly explore how to begin the process of ending these powerful cravings for sweet foods.

Do I Crave Sugar All The Time Because Sugar Is Addictive?

Why do I get sweet cravings in the middle of the night?

There could be a few reasons why you crave sweets in the middle of the night.

• One reason could be that you are food deficient, and your body craves sugar to get energy.
• Another reason could be that you are water deficient, and your body craves sugar to get hydrated.
• A third reason could be that you are deficient in relaxation time and your body craves sugar to help you relax.
• A fourth reason could be that you are protein deficient, and your body craves sugar to help build muscles.
• Lastly, a fifth reason could be that you are sleep deficient, and your body craves sugar to help you stay awake.

If you find yourself craving sweets in the middle of the night, try to figure out which deficiency you may have and address it accordingly.

What if I still have a sugar craving?

The best thing you can do is drink plenty of water.

But the truth is, you’ll still probably have some cravings for sweets, and that’s okay!

It’s ok for you to have a cookie or another small treat if you can’t sleep or feel stressed.

We don’t want to eat tons of cookies and treats every night, but you can have some sweets and not feel guilty.

Craving Sweets Meaning – Summary

The key is to work on the underlying factors of deficiency we’ve talked about in this article.

Get more sleep, find ways to reduce stress, start off with a huge breakfast and get lots of protein during the day.

Turn off those lights and get some shut-eye.

Your sleep cravings will steadily decrease the more you can target the underlying deficiencies and take it one day at a time.  🙂

Do you have any questions about how to cut cravings at night? Or maybe you are wondering what sugar cravings mean.