Being hungry when you have not eaten is completely normal, it is also when we exercise, in pregnant women or when they are under premenstrual syndrome. However, if there is no logical reason why you are hungry all day, it may be because something is wrong.
Hunger is the physiological need to ingest calories, through which we obtain energy. The factors that activate it are different, and can range from stress, diet or some diseases. It is important to recognize and know what the cause is, so that you can treat that problem and prevent it from getting worse. ¿ Why do I feel hungry all the time ? In the following FastlyHealarticle we will talk to you about the possible causes of this.
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Why am I so hungry lately: dehydration
Hunger and thirst are often confused, which is why many people snack between meals thinking that they are hungry when the reality is that what their body needs is water . This confusion occurs in the hypothalamus, the area of the brain where the emissions of water and thirst signals are regulated. However, when dehydration begins, the hypothalamus can become confused and, instead of sending a thirst signal for you to grab a bottle, it sends you a hunger signal that causes you to start eating.
That is why if you have been very hungry lately, you could start by analyzing the amount of liquid you are ingesting. You should bear in mind that the amount of water to drink per person per day is 2.5 liters, an amount that will increase if it is very hot or if you practice sports. That is why if you haven’t done it yet, you should start doing it.
Feeling hungry all day from bad rest
When you sleep little or sleep and do not get enough rest, your body suffers some imbalances in the production of hormones that will act against you, causing you to be hungry. On the one hand, more ghrelin will be produced, a hormone that will increase your appetite, in the same way, leptin will also be reduced, the hormone responsible for giving you a feeling of fullness.
That is why if you do not sleep well and this lasts for a while, this feeling of hunger will appear all day . If you do not sleep well, you will be more fatigued and you will not be able to think clearly. To counteract it, your body will push you to eat to get energy. That is why sleeping at least 7 hours each day can be the difference between being satiated or being hungry.
I’m very hungry lately: anxiety and stress
Stress and anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways. The reality is that many visits to the doctor for physical or digestive problems, pain and discomfort in the end turn out to have an emotional cause , a stress that manifests itself in different areas of the body.
When we are stressed, our entire body prepares to face a threat. In this way, the heart races, the muscles tense, and adrenaline and other hormones are released. Among these we find cortisol , also known as the stress hormone, which when in high levels causes an energy need in the body. Consequently, our body generates a great appetite , believing that it needs to eat when in reality it does not. In addition, it makes us tend to eat greasier or sweeter things, which is known as anxiety to eat .
Feeling of hunger after having eaten from alcohol
Despite the fact that the negative effects of alcohol on our health are well known , unfortunately, these types of drinks are still too present in our society, often being an indispensable part of socialization. But beyond the effects of alcohol on the brain , there are other less known effects that can affect our appetite. If you feel hungry after eating and drinking alcohol, this may be the cause.
This is because, even if it is liquid, alcohol dehydrates our body, so what is actually dehydration , in our body is mistaken for hunger. The optimal thing would be that you do not consume alcohol, however, if you do, what you should do is consume at least the same amount of water or eat before you start drinking.
Feeling of hunger due to bad eating habits
Depending on what we eat, our body will act in one way or another. Not all foods are metabolized the same, in addition, some of them can cause imbalances in our body. In the same way, the way in which we do it and the moment in which we do it can also cause us feelings such as being hungry all day. Here we explain some of these reasons, harmful eating habits that you should avoid :
Eat simple carbohydrates
Many snacks, especially potatoes and cookies, make us irresistible. To which we eat one we have the need to eat another, and another, and another until we realize it and we have finished the entire package. Why does this happen? It is not just because they are rich, the reason is that the carbohydrates that come from starch, which are simple carbohydrates, cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket. But just as they raise them, they lower them again with the same speed, making our body have the need to eat and make us feel hungry.
What you can do is substitute simple carbohydrates for complex ones that, unlike the former, remain much more stable in the blood and are much healthier for our body.
Eat little unsaturated fat
As with protein, the amount of unsaturated fat we eat has a lot to do with our levels of satiety. In addition, these are products that eating them in the right amounts can be very good for our health . Some examples are:
- Olive oil.
- Avocado.
- Blue fish.
- Walnuts.
Keep in mind that the percentage of unsaturated fats in your total daily diet should be around 20 or 30%.
Skip meals
Obviously, if you skip a meal, you will be hungry, what many people do not know is that this hunger will not disappear when you eat again, but it can be maintained for longer. The reason is that spending hours without eating triggers levels of ghrelin , a hormone that, as we have already explained, is what causes the brain to send hunger signals.
This is why we should never skip breakfast. Since we have already come from not eating during the night, if we do not eat well in the morning our ghrelin levels will be out of balance and it is more likely that when we eat we will do it in an abusive way.
Always be hungry: illness
In addition to stress or anxiety, which we have already discussed in a previous section, there are different diseases that can cause an increase in appetite and make you always hungry. Here we explain what these possible causes may be:
- Bulimia.
- Diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes.
- Graves disease .
- Premenstrual syndrome.
- Hypoglycemia .
- Hyperthyroidism
Why am I hungry all the time?
Although it may seem like it, it is not silly and surely you have experienced this sensation more than once. In the world we live in, constantly flooded with advertising, we are constantly exposed to photographs, videos and advertisements of succulent and appetizing foods. You turn on the TV and there is an ice cream commercial, you drive and you find a pizza billboard, you surf the Internet and you have to dodge the recipe videos, and so on.
The studies that have been done in this regard show that looking at these types of advertisements increases grelin a, the hormone responsible for waking us up to hunger. In fact, the simple fact of looking at them causes effects similar to sniffing it, that is, the mouth salivates, the stomach contracts and they begin the typical purr of hunger.
We understand that it is impossible to isolate ourselves from the world, however, knowing that this happens we can convince ourselves that what happens to us is not real, that we have no real need to eat even if our brain believes it.
I finish eating and I’m hungry: medication
There are certain medicines that can increase the desire to eat, causing us to live with perpetual hunger. That is why if you have recently been taking medication or your drugs have been changed, it may be that this is the reason why you are hungry all day. Some of the medications that can cause this side effect are:
- Antidepressant medications such as sertraline or paroxithine.
- Corticosteroids such as prednisone,
If you are taking any of these medications and despite finishing eating you are still hungry, consult your doctor to see if it is possible to change your medication.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why do I feel hungry all the time , we recommend that you enter our Food category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.