Sandhya Raghavan
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Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Updated : October 16, 2017 3:33 PM IST
Are you finding it difficult to stick to a diet regimen? Are you constantly plagued by thoughts of melting mounds of ice cream and steaming hot plates of samosas at work? Probably there is more to your hunger than just an overenthusiastic digestive system. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, following a weight loss diet becomes increasingly difficult due to your constant hunger pangs. It can be frustrating if you are keeping a strict count of your calories. Apart from regular offenders like stress and missed breakfasts, some other weirdly unbelievable things can be responsible for your undying hunger. Here are four of those!
Salt
Wait, didn't salt make you thirsty? Guess what else it causes? It makes you want to eat a whole lot. A recent study from Vanderbilt University suggests that excessive salt initially makes you thirsty, but after a 24 hour period, your body starts stocking up on the water through water retention. To do so, the body uses up a lot of its energy reserves, making you hungry in the process. So it makes sense to cut down on your salt intake lest you start eating everything in sight.1
The air conditioner
It is simple logic. The colder the temperature, the more heat you need to maintain your body temperature. And to generate that kind of heat, the body needs to eat. Studies show that lower temperatures prompt you to eat more by making you hungrier. So if air-conditioning at your workplace is making you shake in your boots, it is probably the one making you hungrier as well.2
(Read: 8 signs you are not eating enough)
Alcohol
Wondering why your binge drinking sessions have been turning into binge eating ones lately? Blame it on your beer. Even moderate levels of alcohol intake can affect your leptin levels. Leptin is a hunger hormone that signals your brain to stop eating and that you are full. A study has shown that drinking causes the leptin levels to fall, causing the brain to think you are still hungry.3
Medicine
Certain medications can cause ravenous hunger as side effects. This is especially true of corticosteroid drugs such as prednisolone. Some people who have been on these drugs report feeling terribly hungry and end up eating more frequently.4
References:
1. Lerchl, K., Rakova, N., Dahlmann, A., Rauh, M., Goller, U., Basner, M., ... & Baranov, V. (2015). Agreement Between 24-Hour Salt Ingestion and Sodium Excretion in a Controlled EnvironmentNovelty and Significance. Hypertension, 66(4), 850-857.
2. de Castro, J. M. (1991). Seasonal rhythms of human nutrient intake and meal pattern. Physiology & behavior, 50(1), 243-248.
3.R jdmark, S., Calissendorff, J., & Brismar, K. (2001). Alcohol ingestion decreases both diurnal and nocturnal secretion of leptin in healthy individuals. Clinical endocrinology, 55(5), 639-647.
4.Ciriaco, M., Ventrice, P., Russo, G., Scicchitano, M., Mazzitello, G., Scicchitano, F., & Russo, E. (2013). Corticosteroid-related central nervous system side effects. Journal of Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics, 4(Suppl1), S94 S98. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-500X.120975
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