Have you ever felt that you are always hungry – and even if you eat something, the cravings just don’t go away? This kind of persistent hunger does more harm than good, and it often leads to obesity and depression, and myriad of other health issues.
But why does it happen? Why do some people always feel hungry? There could be these 10 reasons that apply to you:
#1. Depression
For people suffering with depression or anxiety, eating is just another way to cope with it. Eating is the coping mechanism that helps them produce the feel-good hormone called serotonin.
And these foods are usually comfort foods, mostly easy to eat and high in calories. Eventually, this kind of food makes your depression worse since it might cause weight gain and other health issues.
#2. Stress
Whenever we go into stress, our fight-or-flight mode triggered. In this condition, our bodies feel like it needs to eat and consume calories for the challenge that is coming – even when you don’t need it. Your body hormones keep telling you that you need to eat as much food as you can.
While it might make you feel better for a short while, overeating during stress is not the best way to deal with it.
#3. Hyperthyroidism
There are some people who always feel hungry and eat all the time, yet they don’t gain weight or might even lose weight despite the constant intake of food.
This could be because of the hyperactive thyroid gland, which speeds up your metabolism that increases your hunger drive. But there is an easy way to check if you really have hypothyroidism – apart from constant hunger and no weight gain, you will also feel fatigued, moodiness, brittle nails, and hair loss.
#4. Obesity
Most people don’t know this and don’t understand this: that obesity can often trigger overeating, which in turn increases obesity. Excess fat increases your insulin levels which increases your appetite, and a large body needs more energy to operate so you need to eat more if you are overweight.
#5. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia just means low sugar, and this could happen due to a variety of reasons. In this case, you’ll feel hungry all the time since your body absorbs less sugar from your food. That is why you need to eat more so that your body gets enough blood glucose.
#6. Diabetes
Diabetes of Type 1 and 2 both can cause extreme cravings and a cycle of hunger due to imbalanced blood sugar levels. People with low blood sugar and even high blood sugar have cravings that are not satisfied easily.
Doctors suggest that people with Diabetes should control their sugar levels and try to keep it steady by avoiding refined and processed foods that are loaded with carbohydrates.
#7. Your period
Period causes a lot of hormonal changes which multiply your hunger cravings many times over. But the biggest reason for increased hunger is that your body actually needs more calories and more food during these times, and women already feel very tired and dehydrated. So that’s another reason you tend to eat more when you are having your period.
#8. Medications
Some medicines also have side effects that increase your pangs of hunger. If you are taking medications for depression, allergies, lupus or seizure – chances are that these medicines will make you feel hungry all the time. And we all know that overeating is not going to help your health get better.
#9. Dehydration
Many people feel hungry when they are just dehydrated, and start eating when their body is actually just demanding water. So you need to make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day.
Also make sure that you are drinking plain water instead of sugary drinks or soft drinks because such drinks will keep you hungry and they are not very good for rehydrating the body, not to mention the extra calories you’ll be getting by taking the sugar.
#10. Insomnia
Poor sleep or lack of sleep is a problem most of the people are dealing with these days, and since we are all insomniac – the body cannot regulate the hunger hormones properly. The hunger hormone called ghrelin will often spike during the day and you’ll feel hungry even when you don’t actually need to eat.
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