Why does detoxing cause headaches

Sleep problems. For the first few days of a detox, you may experience a disruption to your sleep patterns. Insomnia is not uncommon, but you may also struggle with feeling tired and desperate for a nap. I find a calming night ritual helps get my body ready for good sleep, especially during a detox.

Tiredness and fatigue. Tackle that next. Psyllium husk can help you regulate your bowel movements, but your diet should come first.

To cope with increased irritability, consider taking some time to detox your mind as well. More on that next week! Skin problems. Have you noticed that you tend to break out more when you eat poorly?

Yes, including me. Sticking to a healthy, plant-based meal plan all year round. Ready to crush your health goals? Join Meal Mentor now. Lindsay S. Subscribe to the blog! Nicholas plays with a tree Learn more about Nicholas. About Happy Herbivore's purpose is to help you lose weight on a vegan diet.

From these fake foods, people become trapped in real biological food addictions. When you eliminate these addictive, toxic foods and drinks, you may initially have uncomfortable reactions like feeling achy, flu-like feelings, irritability, nausea, headaches, brain fog, constipation, hunger, itchy skin, fatigue and sleep difficulties.

While it might not feel like it at the time, these symptoms are short-lived and will pass. This momentary discomfort becomes a necessary, perfectly normal process when you switch from toxic, inflammatory food-like substances to anti-inflammatory, life-giving foods.

These symptoms occur for several reasons. Unreleased toxins in your digestive system can make you feel ill. So can food allergies.

Your immune system goes through a reaction that actually intensifies inflammation for a few days which then passes. Oftentimes foods we are allergic to become addictive.

Coming off these allergens can cause a brief, flu-like achy situation that may last one to three days. My patients often get frustrated during the first few days of a detox, but when I warn them ahead of time, they are prepared and typically feel better after a few days.

I encourage them and you! During the two or three days they experienced some discomfort, they were definitely not happy. But I explained what was going on to them and how to handle it and they weathered it. And after these symptoms passed around day five or so, they felt ecstatic.

They suddenly had tons of energy, weight loss occurred, their brain fog cleared up and they felt amazing overall. Before that renewal, though, comes discomfort. The average time to get over a detox crisis is about 48 hours. Be patient and allow your body the time it needs to adjust to new, healthy lifestyle choices.

Make this as easy as possible. If you can, start your detox protocol on a weekend or when you have some time off. Rather than caloric-restrictive programs like a juice cleanse that only make this process worse, I recommend food-based programs like my Day Detox or the Eat Fat, Get Thin plan to avoid detoxing too quickly.

These eight strategies can further help ease the discomfort of a healing crisis:. If all these strategies fail, consider an herbal laxative such as cascara, senna, or rhubarb.

These work wonderfully at bedtime for short-term help. Most importantly, remember when you clean up your diet and eliminate toxic substances that are holding you back from getting to your optimal weight and health, you may also experience withdrawal symptoms. And remember that these symptoms are actually a GOOD thing. It means your body is detoxifying and inflammation is cooling down. So again, please do not give up. But luckily these are temporary! Everyday coffee drinkers or frequent fast food bingers will experience those gnawing cravings more acutely than some, but eventually those desires will subside.

Stay strong! When your body is purging toxins, an easy way for it to get them out is through your skin. That means that during your cleanse, you might see a pimple or two popping up. Once your body has finished removing all toxins, your skin will be better and glowier than ever. And, finally, the one you may not have thought about: the emotional discomfort.

When you remove physical toxins from the body, you also usually release old emotional toxins like fear, stress, loneliness, anxiety and sadness. The best way to deal with this is to get lots of sunlight, drink lots of water, ground yourself in nature and keep a journal. Taking time to mediate, practice yoga and get creative can also help, as can pressing pause on social media.

So although these sensations can feel overwhelming and intimidating, they all will pass. So keep calm and carry on!