Are you constantly feeling hungry? You may think that it is psychological that you are looking for something to snack shortly after the meal you get up thinking that you are full, but there may be many reasons for this feeling of hunger. In order to prevent this feeling that is not very beneficial to your health, it is necessary to know the reasons first. We have prepared for you 8 reasons why you feel hungry all the time.
1.Dehydration
The body’s inability to get as much water as it needs can sometimes make you feel hunger instead of thirst. As a result of a neural confusion in the hypothalamus region of the brain, which regulates hunger and thirst, you reach for snacks when what you need is water. Experts recommend drinking water first thing in the morning and then throughout the day. When you feel hungry, you can drink water first and observe whether your hunger subsides for 15-20 minutes.
2.Poor Quality Sleep
When you have a disturbed sleep or do not get enough sleep, the levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin fluctuate. In addition, your body moves towards the nearest energy sources because you feel tired: Carbohydrates! Paying attention to the amount and quality of sleep is an important factor for the feeling of satiety.
3.Consuming Too Many Refined Products
This type of carbohydrate, which we call “refined”, is found in many prepared foods such as pasta, pastry and junk food. When you consume these foods, although you feel extremely full, you will feel hungry again after a short time. Because there is no fibre in such foods, so they are digested quickly. So if you want to stay full for a long time, you should prefer fibrous foods that take longer to digest. For example, vegetables and whole grain foods can be a good option.
4.Diabetes
Diabetes, especially type-2 diabetes, can make you feel hungry all the time. This is because in diabetic patients, glucose, the energy source of our body, cannot spread to the cells and remains in the blood. Therefore, diabetic patients constantly feel hungry. However, feeling hungry is only one of the symptoms of diabetes. Let us remind you that it is essential to see a doctor and have a blood test to find out if you have diabetes!
5.Eating Just Before Sleep
It sounds like a joke, but it’s not. When you eat too much before bed, you wake up hungrier in the morning. The reason for this cannot be determined with certainty, but it is thought to be due to the sugar-insulin relationship. The high amount of insulin hormone released when the body is loaded with sugar causes you to feel hungry again.
6.Consuming Too Much Sugar
Sugary, white floury foods can create a temporary feeling of satiety by suddenly increasing the sugar level in the blood; however, you will feel even hungrier after a short period of time. Make sure that you get enough protein at main meals and choose healthy foods such as almonds, peanuts, apples as snacks that will not spike your blood values.
7.Stress
When you are stressed, you don’t just eat out of boredom. When the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released in excess, the body thinks it is in danger. Stress also lowers serotonin levels and makes you feel hungry when you’re actually full, especially when you’re craving sweets.
8.Consuming Too Much Alcohol
A recent study found that people are more likely to eat foods high in calories after drinking alcohol. As you can imagine, these foods are not the healthiest ones and it is only a matter of time before you fall into the sugar vicious circle above. In addition, alcohol makes you thirsty and makes it easier to fall into the thirst-deficit fallacy we described at the beginning.
Experts recommend eating before drinking and drinking water between drinks.
9.Eating Fast
In fact, you may be consuming normal portions and eating as often as you should; nevertheless, the speed at which you eat is a decisive factor in creating a feeling of satiety. According to a study published in 2013, eating slowly allows the brain to signal “okay, enough”. It is also recommended to wait 15-20 minutes after finishing your plate and listen to yourself.
10.Excessive Exposure to Social Media
Short yet attractive food videos, appetising breakfast tables, we spend a significant portion of our time on social media looking at food. Just like when we look at the menu of a restaurant, the sight or even the name of the food is enough to increase the level of ghrelin hormone and make us feel hungry. This was also proven by a study conducted in 2012.