10 - Reasons You Feel Hungry All The Time
Feeling Hungry All the time - 10 reasons
Hunger is controlled by diet, appetite, hormones, and emotional factors such as stress; dehydration, high carbohydrate intake, and a heavy day can boost your appetite. When you always feel an endless hole in your stomach for no apparent reason, then something needs to change.
"Hunger is the physiological need for calories, water, and salt and is motivated by a mix of factors, including your diet, appetite hormones, and emotional factors such as stress," says Maggie Moon, a Los Angeles-based nutritionist, and owner of Everyday Healthy Eating.
Realizing why you can’t stop eating is important because too much hunger could point to a physical or mental health problem-and succumbing to that need to feed can raise your body mass index to dangerously unhealthy levels. These 10 reasons will help explain why you constantly feel hungry.
Being thirsty
Being thirsty can sometimes be confused with being hungry. If you don’t drink enough water, you will surely feel dehydrated, not hungry. Ensure you drink water more often than usual, and check if the hunger will go away.
You can even set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to drink water. Or, go and get some water bottle that shows you how much have you consumed during the day. In this way, you will always have a clear idea of how much you have drank and how much you should have for the rest of the day.
A diet high in carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy but "do not feed", they provide immediate fuel but, once burned off, the feeling of hunger often rises again immediately. For example, refined sugars can repress the secretion of leptin, which is the hormone of satiety.
Not eating healthy fats
Unprocessed natural fats, whether of animal or vegetable origin, are highly satiating and cause an increase in leptin secretion, thus appeasing hunger for a longer time. A diet high in olive oil, dairy, oily fish, etc; can keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Lack of dietary fiber
Lack of dietary fiber such as the one in fruit, or vegetables, can also cause constant hunger. Dietary fiber provokes a feeling of fullness but also retains free sugars preventing them from entering the bloodstream and inhibiting the secretion of leptin. If your diet doesn’t include dietary fiber, you will feel hungry more often.
High release of thyroid hormone can provoke a disorder
A hyperthyroidism disorder happens when your thyroid releases a high level of this hormone. You will probably be facing a disorder due to excess secretion, and that can result in a continuous appetite, as well as, nervousness, insomnia, and weight loss. However, if you suspect that you have this condition or any other symptoms, go to a doctor to confirm the diagnosis and use proper medications.
Skipping meals
Many people think that skipping breakfast will provide them with good results in losing weight. On the contrary, breakfast is the most important meal, and skipping it can only cause a meal disorder. The reality is that if you choose not to eat breakfast, you will get the opposite effect – gain weight.
Many studies proved that a poor breakfast or not eating at all can make you feel more hungry later in the day, and eat much more than usual. Your metabolism starts to slow down, causing your body to go into a “survival mode” and store all the fats that you ingest. If you want to end up with this feeling of hunger, start your day with a good breakfast, and feel more energized and healthier than ever!
You don’t eat at all
You might be feeling hungry simply because you’re not eating enough. If you’ve changed your habits or started doing sports and physical exercise, your body may need more fuel. Sometimes the changes in your life can provoke a situation where you eat poorly or don’t eat at all. Consult a doctor before you completely ruin your health.
Lack of sleep
By the time you wake up after a night of bad sleep, two appetite-linked hormones have begun to turn against you. If you sleep badly and disjointedly, your circadian cycles are altered, and with them, your hunger hormones. Your body will have increased its ghrelin levels, while leptin – which is what contributes to the feeling of satiety; decreases. In addition, poor sleep increases blood levels of a chemical that makes eating feel more pleasant.
Probable diabetes
If you are feeling hungry and tired all the time, then you may have diabetes type 2 and should consult with your doctor. Although insulin captures sugars, tissue cells do not accept them and end up accumulating in the blood in high concentrations and thus inhibiting the secretion of leptin. Get a blood sugar test to ensure and start a proper diet.
Taking medicines that cause hunger
Another possibility for your feeling hungry is if you are taking certain antidepressant drugs that simultaneously stimulate the secretion of ghrelin and inhibit leptin, like some of the lithium-based medications.
Hidden anxiety or stress
Anxiety and stress may be temporary due to a grievance such as separation, loss of a loved one, or work issues. Or perhaps you have simply stopped smoking recently, as even a year after the cessation of the habit you may still feel an increase in hunger due to the "tobacco monkey". The fact is that feeling hungry can reveal a hidden picture of anxiety.
Constant stress in your daily life can cause total discomfort in your food routine that may lead you to constantly eat food that is rich in fats and sugars. After their consumption, they activate and have pretty addictive effects on people’s lives. To avoid this, don’t stress or reduce your stress with regular exercises, walking, or yoga.
These are the 10 reasons why you might be feeling hungry most of the time, hope I provided clarity for you! If you want to know more about a healthier life, don’t hesitate to read my other blogs. Feel free to contact me via the contact page for more tips!
