SEATTLE - The days after the biggest candy holiday in America are often considered some of the worst days of the year because of what's known as the "Halloween Hangover."

Every Halloween, trick-or-treaters collect billions of dollars worth of candy corn, chocolate, licorice, gum... you name it. And many of the little super heroes and fairy princesses will be on a sugar high from eating extra candy during the week.

But more than sugar, some children will be on hyper overdrive for another reason: artificial coloring. Studies have linked artificial dye in candy and other foods to adverse reactions in children who are sensitive to chemicals.

According to the Feingold Association, an organization which helps children with behavioral problems, even small amounts of the coloring in candy can cause restlessness and irritability, aggression, poor sleep, and even respiratory problems for some children with chemical sensitivities.

The primary culprits are often hard to spot on some candy labels, such as individually wrapped chews. But untwist the wrappers and read the fine print. If the candy has artificial coloring, you'll usually see listings like yellow #5 Blue 1 or 2, or Red 40.

The Feingold Association offers these tips to help to avoid the Halloween candy hangover if you have chemically sensitive kids in your home.

Make sure kids eat a full meal before they go trick or treating to discourage eating enroute.

Inspect kids' candy and swap out candy with synthetic dyes for a toy, chocolate or some other natural alternative.

And limit the amount of candy children to a certain number of pieces each day.

That's a good general rule for all children where sugar consumption is concerned.

For more information:

www.Feingold.org