Why Am I Always Hungry? 9 Reasons For Constant Appetite

If words like ‘I always have a lot hungry ‘ resonate a lot in your daily life, you should know that perhaps there is a problem behind this feeling of hunger. In a physiological sense, if you cannot satisfy your hunger it is a sign that your body requires more food. There are many cases in which being constantly hungry is a sign of emotional emptiness. But why does it happen and how can you satisfy hunger?

What is hunger?

Although we all know the feeling of hunger, the reality is that there are two ways of understanding how we relate to food. Differentiating between them will allow you to understand when being hungry is a physiological reaction of your body and when it is a sign that there is an emotional problem.

• Physical hunger: Being physically hungry implies that our body really needs to eat. This happens because our stomach is a muscular organ that expands and contracts. It contains a hormone called leptin that tells our body when our stomach is full to stop eating. On the other hand, when our stomach is empty it contracts or collapses, causing hunger pangs. In these cases, the hormone called ghrelin influences, which drives us to eat.
• Psychological hunger: When a person begins to to be hungry and the reason for this is a psychological or emotional reason, the cause of the feeling of hunger is not physiological. In these cases, being very hungry is closely related to an emotional cause, whether due to a bad habit (turning to food as a source of escape from certain negative emotions), experiencing stress or anxiety. Unlike ‘physiological hunger’, this emotional hunger triggers a series of cravings for specific foods, usually those that contain more sugars and fats.

‘I’m always hungry’ Why does it happen?

There are a number of common reasons why people tend to have very hungry even though they consume enough food to satisfy their appetite:

1. Anxiety or depression: If you continue right after eating are you hungry, it is very possible that you are facing psychological hunger. In fact, many people turn to food to cope with uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, depression and anxiety. This happens because eating salty, sweet, or fatty foods causes our brain to release feel-good hormones, which reinforces these eating behaviors. In these cases, the best thing you can do to deal with hunger at all hours is to do the ‘egg test’. If you feel like you don’t like protein foods like eggs or chicken, this constant hunger is probably an emotional problem.
2. Bad nutrition: Currently, there are many people who do not have enough time to spend time preparing a healthy meal. In this way, it is common to eat too many carbohydrates or prepared foods that usually have more sugars, which makes our body want more food and therefore it is more difficult satisfy hunger
3. You eat too fast: Your body needs about 20 minutes to ‘register’ that it is really full. When a person eats slowly and chews all food well, the body and brain tend to better identify when we are really full. Have a excessive hunger It could be precisely because you are eating too quickly and not enjoying these moments.
4. Do you take medications: Phrases like ‘I’m always hungry’ They could also be due to certain types of medications. For example, steroids, anticonvulsants, certain antidepressants, and some oral contraceptives can make you feel hungrier than usual.
5. You don’t get enough sleep: Sleep and appetite are closely linked. In fact, our bodies produce more ghrelin if we’re not getting enough sleep, which means having more hunger than usual Therefore, suffering from different sleep disorders can cause people to experience hunger at all hours.
6. You’re thirsty: In some cases, the feeling of hunger It can be confused with thirst. To know if you are hungry or thirsty, it is best to drink a full glass of water before considering eating any food.
7. You’re stressed: Stress stimulates our appetite. In case that be very hungry Whether due to stress, it is because our body assumes that it requires more nutrients to meet the daily demands that you make of yourself. The hormone cortisol, which plays a relevant role in stress, causes our blood sugar levels to plummet, causing hunger and constant food cravings.
8. Boredom: When a person becomes very bored, they may also experience hungry at all hours In these cases, food is used to try to pass the time.
9. Premenstrual syndrome: For women, the weeks before your period can see a change in your appetite.

In addition to these reasons in some cases be very hungry It can be synonymous with a physical or medical problem, so you should also make sure that these are not the cause of your excess appetite.

How to stop being constantly hungry?

If you experience a excessive hunger and tiredness, it is likely that your relationship with food is not adequate. In these cases, if you cannot satisfy your hunger because its cause is psychological, it may be appropriate to go to a professional psychologist. Furthermore, to end this hunger at all hours you can do the following:

• Find your true hunger: It is important to identify if to be hungry This is due to a stressor or that you are simply doing it out of boredom. In these cases, the ideal is to change our approach to eating and change this need that arises from a psychological cause.
• Act on the true causes: If you hungry at all hours It is due to a psychological cause, it is time to try to end this need. Finding the origin of this feeling and facing it will be the best way to leave this feeling of constant hunger behind.
• Remember the consequences: Having a lot of cravings due to this having a emotional hunger It can cause many problems beyond this impulse. For example, overeating can cause discomfort such as indigestion, heartburn, stomach pain and even insomnia.
• Stop for a while: If accessing food has become a natural reflex in many moments, it is important to try to stop and think about the reason why you go to food.
• Seek psychological help: Emotional hunger can end up affecting you both physically and psychologically. For this reason, if you cannot control the feeling of constant hunger, it may be a good resource to go to a professional psychologist.

Enjoying our meals is undoubtedly one of the pleasures of life. But when we become slaves to hunger, food can end up causing more harm than enjoyment.