Why Am I So Hungry?
Surely, throughout your life, you have had times with different appetites. There are moments in life when we hardly think about eating, or when we don’t even give importance to food. However, you have surely lived through stages in which you have wondered why you are so hungry.
It is not strange to ask yourself this question. In these stages, much of your day is thinking about food and, surely, you will find it difficult to control those impulses to eat at all hours or more than necessary. This can become a serious problem.
Hunger is a physiological and instinctive desire to eat that allows us to obtain energy and survive. In addition, it is a sensation in which many factors and substances intervene. In other words, it is a multifactorial sensation.
When we are so hungry that this desire to eat becomes uncontrollable and, moreover, does not obey a need, it can be something pathological. In this article we explain the most common causes that sometimes you are so hungry.
What are the causes of you being so hungry?
Before explaining the reasons why we can have a greater appetite, it is necessary to understand why hunger occurs. In a normal way, hunger is a sensation that tells us that we should eat. Thus, our body can function properly.
This sensation occurs in our brain, thanks to the action of a series of hormones that control both appetite and satiety. According to our needs, our body releases certain substances to stimulate us to eat or not.
For example, when blood glucose levels are very low, a situation called hypoglycemia, our brain produces those stimuli that cause us to feel so hungry. If, on the contrary, we have just eaten, the nutrients in the food activate the satiety center.
Why am I so hungry if I just ate?
In our society, one of the most common causes of being so hungry is anxiety. It has become a global health problem, negatively affecting many aspects of our lives.
On the other hand, we must also be aware that, currently, our lifestyle is not the most appropriate. Our diet is often incorrect or not very nutritious. Hunger can also be a way for our body to express that it has a lack, for example, of vitamins.
If to this we add all the social stimuli to which we are subjected, being so hungry can even be logical. We find advertising about food everywhere and, in addition, eating has become an act that we do more for pleasure than out of necessity.
All of this continually encourages us to eat. It is even difficult to distinguish if being so hungry is due to boredom or nervousness or if, in reality, our body has some need.
What pathological causes can make you so hungry?
Nor can we forget that certain pathologies and situations can trigger an increase in appetite. In fact, many of the drugs that are taken as a treatment for certain diseases cause hunger as a side effect.
On the other hand, it is important to highlight the role of diabetes mellitus. It is a disease in which our body does not synthesize or cannot use insulin. One of its main symptoms may be being hungry.
In the same way, there are many psychiatric pathologies that can cause it. Bulimia nervosa is a disease in which the person has an uncontrollable urge to eat. It is more common in young women and often leads to binge eating.
In addition, certain disorders of the thyroid gland, such as hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease, can also manifest themselves in this way. Therefore, it is important to always consult the doctor.
In conclusion
Being so hungry, in our society, is relatively normal. However, it is a situation that must be studied and that, in addition, usually has a remedy. It is important to control the possible diseases that can cause it. Similarly, if the cause is a situation of stress, anxiety or boredom, there are techniques to learn to recognize the situation and be able to control the urge.
