Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : December 28, 2020 11:15 AM IST
Finding it difficult to manage your hunger and calorie intake?
Feeling hungry after skipping a meal is normal, as it is how your body tells your brain that your stomach is empty, and your system needs some fuel to function properly. But if you feel hungry all the time, even after eating your meals on time, it is not a good sign.
A variety of medical reasons can cause unnecessary hunger pangs. If not taken care of early, these conditions can lead to more serious health consequences. Here are some possible reasons why you feel hungry all the time.
Hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid, which occurs when the thyroid gland makes more hormones than your body needs, may also cause excessive hunger. When thyroid hormone levels are too high, your body burns calories at a much faster rate, which increases hunger.
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, too can make you feel hungry often. When the sugar in your bloodstream drops, the brain starts giving signals that your body needs fuel, making you feel hungry.
Too much insulin or other diabetes medications may cause your blood sugar level to drop too low. But other health issues like hepatitis and kidney disorders can also lead to hypoglycemia.
Frequent hunger pangs are also a symptom of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Normally, the body turns the sugar from the food you eat into fuel called glucose. But if you have diabetes, the sugar can't get into the cells to be stored for energy. This causes your muscles and other tissues to crave for more food.
Feeling hungry, even after eating your meals on time, could be a sign of a worm infestation in the intestines. Worms can rob your body of essential nutrients, which in turn can make you feel hungry more often than usual.
If you have a parasite infestation, you may experience strong hunger pangs especially during the early morning. You may also never feel satisfied or full after eating a meal. Despite eating more than usual, you may experience weight loss.
If you don't get enough sleep daily, you may end up feeling hungry all the time. Poor sleep can cause a surge in the level of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, and decreased the level of leptin, a hormone that causes feelings of fullness. Also called 'hunger hormone,' ghrelin signals hunger to the brain when your stomach is empty. More ghrelin means more appetite, which increases food intake and promotes fat storage.
Research also suggest that inadequate sleep make people choose foods most capable of triggering weight gain. So, make sure you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night daily.
When you're stressed, your adrenal glands make and release more cortisol into your bloodstream. Often called the "stress hormone," cortisol increases appetite and also makes you crave for sweet, high-fat, and salty foods. Too much of this hormone can also cause an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure.
Stress or depression is also associated with rise in the hunger hormone ghrelin in the body. This is the reason why people eat more during stress, which can lead to weight gain and more health issues.
Exercise and meditation may help control your stress level.
