Are You Hungry All the Time? Here’s Why

Seriously body, what gives?

Are you hungry? Or are you bored? Wait, are you sad or angry? It’s so hard to tell when you are ravenous and ready to butcher a box of pizza! (Photo: iStock)

All in favour say ‘aye’:

1. You think about food when you wake up. And of course right before you go to bed.
2. People always say to you, “you’re eating again?”
3. You turn into a different person when you’re hungry.
4. Sometimes at your friend’s house, you ask what’s there to eat even before a hello.
5. You’d rather be around food than people.

If you relate to the points above then I sympathise with you. Your food struggles never end because your stomach is a bottomless pit. While other people have emotions like happy, sad, you feel “hungry” and “really hungry!”

So what gives? I spoke to experts to figure out why some people are always hungry. Read on:

1. You’re Dehydrated

Start your day with a glass of water to stay on top of your fluid intake (Photo courtesy: Tumblr/@TaylorSwiftAndKittens)

Mild dehydration makes you feel ravenously hungry. Appetite is often confused with thirst and the jumble happens in the hypothalamus of the brain where both appetite and thirst are regulated. When dehydration sets in, the wires in this part of the brain get crossed leading you to grab a bag of chips when you really need a glass of water.

Tip: When you’re hungry in-between meals, gulp a giant glass of water, wait for ten minutes to see if you really want a snack.

2. You Loooovee Carbs

(Photo courtesy: Tumblr/@OnlyBlondie)

Jesus! Who doesn’t? But have you ever noticed that you can’t just stop at one doughnut? You go on and on till the box is just crumbs. That’s your brain on too much processed food.

Carbohydrates that make processed foods, like breads, biscuits, chips, frozen dinners, ketchup, instant noodles etc. amazing, can spike your blood sugar and then let it crash, leaving you feeling even hungrier than you were before!

Research shows that high fat, high sugar foods interfere with the mood-regulating chemicals in the brain, leading to feel low and overeat.

Tip: Get your carb fix with chapati, fruits and nuts which have lots of fiber that will ward off hunger pangs and keep you full for longer.

3. You’re Skipping a Protein-Rich Breakfast

Women should aim for 46 grams of protein in a day and men for 54 grams per day (Photo courtesy: Tumblr/GifsPlanet)

I know - at times, the idea of getting it together in the morning to eat breakfast just seems like a task at par with building the monorail in Mumbai. But a solid meal in the morning preps your blood sugar level for the rest of the day and skipping it can cause your body to produce extra ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry.

Pile your plate with protein and some healthy fats - they not only keep you full for a long time but also have an appetite-suppressing effect.

Tip: Just eat some boiled eggs, toast and be done with it.

4. You Didn’t Get a Good Night’s Sleep

(Photo courtesy: Tumblr/@PrettyLittlesNow)

A night of poor sleep and your hormones start to conspire against you. Little sleep, broken sleep or poor sleep can leave you drained; the levels of leptin, a hormone that your fat cells produce to signal feelings of fullness- decreases, while gherlin, a hormone produced by the stomach to stimulate appetite -increases.

Tip: You need at least 7 to 8 hours of shuteye or be prepared to fight fatigue, brain fog and terrible carbs cravings!

5. Your Hormones Have Lost It!

Do you feel like something is just not right? You’re not sick, but feel drained and go on eating? And still something just isn’t quite letting you feel 100%? It could be your hormones! (Photo courtesy: Tumblr/@ladybrienne)

If eating more, sleeping less, feeling frazzled are your default emotions even when things are alright for you, then it is likely that you have a hormonal imbalance.

Hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid gland, speeds up the body’s vital functions so you burn energy faster than intended, this is the most comon hormonal cause of constant hunger.

If your sudden hunger comes with blurry vision, the frequent need to urinate or a thirst you just can’t quench, it may be time to get your diabetes tested.

Tip: Get yourself evaluated by a doctor.

6. You Have a Fast Metabolism

(Photo courtesy: Tumblr/GifsForFun) 

You don’t understand people who can sit through a movie without food and go all Joey when someone wants to share your food. Maybe you’re born with it, maybe it’s the years of workouts but you lucked out on the genetic lottery and as a result burn more calories doing nothing than ordinary mortals around you.

Thou art majorly blessed, sista!

Tip: You’re probably hungry after reading this post. No worries. This is a judgement free zone. Hog all you want.

Related Read: What Your Food Cravings Say About You