^

Health

A constant feeling of hunger

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

If a person feels a constant sense of hunger, then it is worthwhile to think about the failure in this system. But the reason for this deviation can only be determined by a doctor.

Nature has endowed a human with a multitude of physiologically necessary possibilities, which ensure that he does not forget to eat, sleep, remove from his body the products of life. The feeling of hunger is one of them. It is controlled by the feeding center, which is located in the cerebral cortex and is connected to the digestive organs through the endings of the central nervous system. This center consists of two sectors: a "saturation site" located in the ventromedial section of the hypothalamus, and a "hunger site" located in the side sector. Due to the impact on these points, the brain receives a signal of saturation or the need to add energy in the form of nutrients.

trusted-source[1], [2]

Causes of a constant feeling of hunger

The points of the brain that regulate the intake of food receive this information from two sources:

  • By the transmitted nerve endings signals coming from the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Information is being processed on the quantitative component of the "indicator" substances present in human blood: various amino acids, glucose, the level of fat components obtained by their cleavage.

The reasons for the constant feeling of hunger may be quite different:

  • Hyperrexia. The patient constantly wants to eat, while the physiological need to replenish the nutrients his body does not feel.
  • Hyperthyroidism. Increased production of the enzyme by the thyroid gland.
  • Diabetes.
  • Diseases of the stomach: gastritis with high acidity, ulcer.
  • Psychological dependence on food.
  • Excessive mental overexertion.
  • Violation of the hormonal background.
  • High physical loads, causing large energy losses.
  • Restriction in nutrition.
  • Prolonged depressive conditions.
  • Constant stress.
  • Thirst.
  • Malfunction in the menstrual cycle.
  • Incorrect food.
  • Diets.

The feeling of hunger comes to a person when the stomach signals to the brain about a lack of energy reserve in the body. In fact, this is his reaction, which protects organs and systems from exhaustion. Why there is a constant feeling of hunger? Asking this question you can talk about a psychological or physiological disorder.

Fine:

  • an impulse is sent about the need to replenish the energy reserve,
  • the body was fed,
  • passes the next impulse signaling saturation.
  • hunger passes.

In the case of a constant sense of hunger, there comes a time when one of the ties breaks off. The patient constantly wants to eat and if not to identify the cause and not take adequate measures - this will invariably lead to obesity and the accompanying pathology.

To better understand the problem, it is necessary to know the process that leads to such a feeling. The source of the signal about lack of food is the stomach, along the peripheral nerves the impulse is fed to the hypothalamus, which controls the level of glucose and other components of the plasma. From this moment, a mechanism triggers a chain reaction of neurochemical transformations that provoke a reaction in the body: rumbling in the stomach, sucking in the pit of the stomach. In parallel, necessary biochemical transformations take place, trying to maintain the internal balance of the environment. For example, the process of fission of fats is activated, the rates of glucose production are stimulated and others.

After the stomach is fed, a signal is sent from the brain to the brain. The processes taking place in the "saturation center" are more complicated. The excitation of the neurons of this section of the physician is designated as the index of secondary saturation.

Before you get the command that the body is full (the glucose level has reached the norm), after a meal should take some time. This gradient depends on the speed of eating, the amount of carbohydrates in food, the physiological characteristics of the body and other indicators.

Primarily the signal about saturation of the brain receives from the receptors of the nose, eyes, mouth (I can see the food, feel and feel), then - with the stretching of the muscle tissue of the stomach (the organ is filled with food). There is information about satiety - food consumption can be stopped.

That is, the organism works in a complex manner and the failure of at least one of the systems leads to destabilization of the organism. Strange as it may seem, the predominantly similar imbalance is excitatory to the "site of famine". Quite often you can hear that a person "zaedaet their problems." And this is not far from the truth. Deep psychological problems, pathology of the endocrine system very often produce a strong dominant for the production of food, and getting rid of this problem is quite difficult.

trusted-source[3], [4]

Symptoms of a constant feeling of hunger

People begin to feel hunger when the first impulses begin to emanate from the stomach.

  • In a normal state, a person begins to realize that he was hungry 12 hours after eating (depending on the individual component, this figure can vary).
  • The stomach is compressed by spasms, which last for half a minute. Then there is a minor break and spasms are resumed. After a certain period of time, bouts become permanent and perceived more acutely.
  • Starts to "suck the floor with a spoonful".
  • There is a rumbling in the abdomen.

Emotional bursts can for some time suppress the feeling of hunger. It is noticed that people with high blood sugar (diabetics) suffer more from the sensation of hunger.

Probably, for his practice, any doctor repeatedly heard from the patients the phrase: "I constantly feel hungry." But only a graduate is able to determine the cause of such symptoms. After all, it would seem that such a natural feeling for a person as hunger can become the first signal of a more serious illness, both organic and psychological. And maybe become a messenger of joyful news that a woman in the near future will become a mother, being a symptom of pregnancy.

Constant hunger in the stomach

Our technogenic product market at many atrophied ability to eat, listening to your body. The modern man, especially the industrial regions, is more inclined to emotional dependence on food. That is, we eat not because we want, but because of the desire to please ourselves with something delicious. There are symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Many simply forgot what a natural feeling of hunger is.

The healthy person feels natural hunger after a few hours after eating, psychological dependence and the failure of physiological processes exacerbate this feeling almost immediately after eating.

The pathology of the central nervous system can provoke a constant excitement of the center of hunger. Solve this problem with a pounce will not succeed. Corrective diets, exercise, hypnosis and psychologist sessions, as it turned out, are powerless.

Deviation of the hormonal background. A constant feeling of hunger in the stomach can provoke and malfunctions in the endocrine system. Leptins, enzymes that are the product of fat cells adipocytes, can become a catalyst for the excitation of brain structures. In a state of norm, the leptins act soothingly on the parts of the hypothalamus responsible for hunger. If energy reserves fall (diet, disease), the level of leptin rises sharply and provokes the need to have a bite, especially sweet food. Such signals are similar to calls for a lack of food.

Vitamins. These substances are necessary for a healthy healthy functioning of the body, but it can not reproduce them. They participate in the work of all systems and bodies without exception. Their deficiency in the body (especially the B vitamins) is negatively affected not only by the skin, the structure of the hair and nails, but also provokes a strong desire to eat. That is, artificial or natural avitaminosis (living in northern regions where a low percentage of consumption of vegetables and fruits) provokes a need for people to replenish the supply of nutrients.

Diets, especially carbohydrate. The main food of the human brain is simple carbohydrates. Their shortage in the body leads to a shortage of cerebral nutrition, which can not but affect other functions of the body. The brain begins to starve and demand replenishment of the resources spent. Against the background of a carbohydrate diet, slimming people are constantly feeling hungry and especially an irresistible desire to eat something sweet.

trusted-source[5], [6], [7], [8]

Constant feeling of hunger during pregnancy

The organism during pregnancy starts to be reconstructed, first to bear a child, then to give birth and feed it. The hormonal background at the same time changes significantly, which may be the reason why many women experience a constant feeling of hunger during pregnancy. Not the last place in this situation is occupied by stresses.

But not passing desire to eat can be a signal for the future mother that in her body there was a deficit of such substances and elements as vitamins, magnesium, calcium and iron. Therefore, to remove this symptomatology, the pregnant woman needs to balance her diet. Introduce in it vegetables and fruits, vitamin complexes. Minimize stressful situations, more to be out in the fresh air. After all, the constant feeling of hunger makes future mothers jam it, which will certainly affect her weight gain. A significant excess of body weight is disastrous not only for the unborn baby, but also for her.

trusted-source[9]

Constant hunger in a child

Many mothers complain that it is very difficult to feed a child. He refuses to eat categorically. But there is another extreme, when the baby does not have a saturation phase, he wants to eat constantly. The reason for such a deviation may be a failure in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, a disruption in the work of metabolic processes. The fragile organism of the baby quickly enough stimulates the development of enlarged stomach. Now the baby needs more and more food to eat. Therefore, if parents observe a constant feeling of hunger in a child, it is worthwhile to alarm, immediately contacting a specialist for advice.

Only after understanding the cause of dysfunction can you designate an effective diet and treatment. But how can parents help their baby?

  • The baby needs to be fed three to four times a day, taking snacks in between. This is quite enough for the normal development and growth of a young organism.
  • To interest the child with active games. At the same time in the visible visibility there should be no food, especially sweets and muffins.
  • If nevertheless the kid asks to eat and between feeding, buns and cookies should be replaced with vegetables and fruits.
  • The amount of food on the baby's plate should be less than that of an adult.

From childhood, it is necessary to instil in children a healthy attitude to food, explaining that eating is not the goal of life, but a means to actively live an interesting day. If the mother herself is heavily sitting on diets, complaining of excess weight, then the baby has an increased interest in products. First of all, parents themselves need to change, having revised their attitude to the feast, translating the accents of their lives from the cult of food to the interests of another plan.

But if the child has a constant feeling of hunger already present, it is worth asking for help from a child nutritionist and a psychologist. A nutritionist will draw up a well-balanced balanced diet, and a child psychologist will help remove psychological attitudes to the child's constant need for food.

trusted-source[10]

Nausea and a constant feeling of hunger

It is not uncommon when a person complains not only of a constant desire to eat. Nausea and a constant feeling of hunger can be symptoms of a fairly wide range of diseases. One such is hypoglycemia. This pathology is characterized by a low level of glucose in the blood plasma, and the body seeks to fill this shortage with food, especially sweet foods. After the diagnosis is established and the severity of its course, the doctor is ready to prescribe the necessary treatment.

But this sign is accompanied not only by multiple pathological abnormalities. This symptomatology can be a messenger of the birth of a new life - pregnancy. Therefore, do not delay the diagnosis, you need to contact a specialist who will help determine the diagnosis.

Persistent hunger after eating

It is not uncommon for a person to feel a constant hunger after eating. The reasons for this paradox may be several.

  • Due to some physiological and psychological reasons, the level of glucose in the blood dropped. A prolonged imbalance of insulin and glucose can trigger the development of diabetes, while the patient experiences a constant feeling of hunger. Kupirovanie his food, gradually leads to overweight and obesity, the predecessors of diabetes.
  • A dramatic change in diet (health starvation, corrective diets, radical change of place of residence). For a while, the perestroika of the human digestive system is under way, adjusting to new nutritional conditions.
  • Significant restriction on the number and frequency of food intake. The stomach loses its products and just constantly "wants to eat", especially after eating. That is, he is ready to rework, but he is not given. Therefore, do not load your body with a daily amount of food at one time, it will be much more useful to spread it into three or four approaches.
  • Stress. Being in a negatively excited state, the body needs encouragement (the "happiness hormone"), which often boils down to eating delicious ("stress seizure"). This trend provokes a strong stress-food relationship, so in such a situation a person experiences a constant feeling of hunger after eating. It is necessary to avoid such situations. In severe cases, only a psychologist can help break this relationship.
  • Excessive mental stress also provoke a bout of hunger, although the person ate only recently. Quite often it happens that the employees of mental labor do not adhere to any regime and, not once, lunch is replaced by snacks (these are sweets, nuts, cookies and so on). With this routine, the worker begins to feel hungry after a quarter of an hour after eating. An exit from the created situation should be the transition to a balanced, three or four meals a day in small portions. In the role of snacks, it is better to use dried fruits.
  • A constant feeling of hunger after a meal can provoke frequent diets. The organism, placed in the framework of a shortage of food, seeks to replace it even from the minimum amount of food, while constantly not stopping to ask for replenishment of supplies, donning these requests in a constant desire to eat. You need to be more careful about your body. It is better to accustom yourself to a normal balanced diet, then to injure with debilitating diets.
  • Such a symptomatology can arise even if there are shortages in the body of specific substances, vitamins or trace elements. For example, if you constantly pull on salty - this is not only a sign of pregnancy, but also a signal that the body is deficient in magnesium. The way out is to adjust your diet by entering (in this case) beans, nuts, sea fish and so on. Pulls "for sweet" - candy is better to replace raisins, dried fruits. Introduce in the diet of poultry meat, fruit, cabbage. This will fill the shortage of sulfur, chromium and phosphorus in the body.
  • May provoke a constant feeling of hunger and premenstrual syndrome. A few days before his offensive, many women have an irresistible desire to eat something all the time. The reason is the absence of estrogen in the body. To somehow smooth this situation, in the pre-menstrual period should limit the consumption of muffins and sweets, and increase the intake of vegetables and fruits. It is necessary to drink plenty of water during this period.

Constant feeling of hunger with gastritis

The increased acidity of gastric secretions can be the reason provoking a constant feeling of hunger in gastritis (hyperacid gastritis). Such patients are well aware of the sensation of sucking pain "in the pit of a stomach", which can be drowned even by "having frozen a worm" (even after eating a little). This situation can also indicate other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - ulcerous manifestations on the mucous membrane of the duodenum and stomach. Therefore, before proceeding to treatment of gastritis, it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis.

In order to somehow stop the desire to eat something, it is necessary to introduce a sparing diet, which is prescribed and controlled by the attending physician. Thus the daily norm of consumption of nutrients is carried on five - six receptions of nutrition. The diet excludes fried, spicy, smoked and salty foods, as well as tea and coffee.

trusted-source[11], [12], [13], [14], [15]

What to do with a constant sense of hunger?

Constantly eases the desire to throw something tasty into his mouth? Weight beats all records? Naturally, the question arises: "What to do with a constant sense of hunger?"

Primarily, you need to contact your local doctor who, after assessing the situation, will redirect the patient to a specialist of a narrower profile. If the problem is not started, nutritionists recommend adjusting the food:

  • Introduce more fiber.
  • "Drink" hunger with mineral or ordinary clean water.
  • In this case, too, the size and color of the dish from which the patient eats is important: it should be small to fit a small amount of food, and a light color (exclude yellow and red color - it stimulates the appetite).
  • Chew food slowly and carefully. A leisurely meal will give the stomach time to "signal" to the brain that it is full and "does not want to eat anymore". Otherwise, the stomach is already full, the signal of satiety has not yet arrived and the person continues to cram already superfluous food.
  • Take food preferably in a place to this adapted. Do not combine eating with reading newspapers or watching TV.
  • Diet - not an occasion to severely restrict the body in the diet.
  • Do not sit at the dinner table after eating, so that there is no temptation to try something else.
  • The reception of food standing, also provokes the desire to eat more.
  • It is necessary to reduce the consumption of foods that fuel appetite
  • The last meal should take place no later than two hours before bedtime.
  • Working, remove from the foreseeable space any products, so that there is no temptation.
  • Any interesting activity distracts the brain from eating, allowing you to forget about it even for a while. But forget about the reception of food is not worth it. Intervals between gluttons should be maintained within three to four hours.

If the reason for the constant feeling of hunger lies in the psychological dependence or diseases of this direction, in this case, a consultation of a psychologist and a neurologist is needed, which will constitute measures that will effectively help the problem.

You may need an examination of an endocrinologist or gastroenterologist, because the reasons for the problem in question may lie in the failure of the hormonal background, thyroid disease or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. To eliminate the problem it is necessary to stop the cause of it provoking - to undergo a full course of treatment of the underlying disease.

As can be seen from the article, the reasons for this state are quite diverse and, in order to eliminate this unpleasant symptom, it is necessary to identify the root cause. Do this, without prejudice to the health of the patient, only a specialist can. And if at first glance the constant feeling of hunger seems to be a problem insignificant, then this is far from the case. Do not engage in self-medication, appointing all kinds of diets, it is these actions that can further strengthen the disease. Subsequently, much more will have to spend the energy and resources to bring the body to normal.

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.