Why Do I Constantly Feel Hungry Even After Eating?

Constant hunger may often point to a deeper or graver problem.

Hunger and appetite are regulated by complex interactions between the endocrine, digestive, and neurologic systems, each of which sends chemical signals to the brain to determine whether it is time to feed oneself.

Feeling always hungry or excessive hunger despite just eating is called polyphagia. It is the urge to eat more food than one's normal calorie requirements. Polyphagia can be brought on by multiple pathologic or even physiological processes.

Here are 10 reasons why you may always be hungry even after you eat, which include:

• Stress
• Pregnancy
• Calorie-restricted diets
• Boredom

Here are 10 reasons why you may feel hungry although you just ate:

1. Stress: Stress often triggers bingeing behavior because of the hormonal imbalances it causes. Therefore, if you are worried about an upcoming exam or important presentation, or even have relationship stress, it is bound to reflect in your eating patterns.
2. Pregnancy: The hormonal change in pregnancy often makes you hungry all the time.
3. Inadequate sleep: Studies have proven that people who have poor quality sleep often tend to eat in excess.
4. Boredom: Eating or snacking because you are bored is often a common observation.
5. Crash diet: People often feel hungrier after they have followed a crash diet for some time. This is the body's way to nourish itself back to health.
6. Recuperating from illness: You may often feel bouts of hunger if you have had a recent bout of illness, and the body is trying to regenerate its tissues.
7. Inadequate portions of food: If you are compelled to eat smaller food portions as an attempt to diet, you may feel hungrier after a meal.
8. Medications: Certain medications, such as steroids, antibiotics, antidepressants, and birth control pills, may alter your feeding and satiety behaviors, making you hungry.
9. Jet lag: Jet lag can often mess with your circadian rhythm and make you hungry all the time.
10. Obesity: Often, insulin resistance that accompanies obesity may lead to an increase in insulin secretion (hyperinsulinemia). This causes the sugar to drop shortly after an intake of a high-carbohydrate meal, which may result in hunger pangs.

However, constant hunger may often point to a deeper or graver problem, ranging from acid peptic disease, body image disorders, to hormonal diseases, such as hyperthyroidism or diabetes mellitus. It is, therefore, important to consult your doctor and get thoroughly evaluated for your symptoms.

Diseases and conditions that may cause constant hunger include:

• Graves' disease: In Graves' disease (or hyperthyroidism), the body generates too much thyroid hormone, resulting in weight loss, hyperactivity, sleeplessness, and a continual desire that is satiated by food.
• Diabetes mellitus: Another reason for hunger is diabetes, which is characterized by rapid variations in blood sugar due to insulin fluctuations in the bloodstream. Hypoglycemia is more common in people with type I diabetes. Insulin shock and coma occur in severe cases; therefore, maintaining correct blood sugar and insulin levels is critical.
• Eating disorders: Body image disorders, such as bulimia, can often lead to an uncontrolled urge to binge following an episode of stress or distress. This is often followed by induced vomiting. Bulimia is a serious mental health disorder that needs psychiatric care and medications at the right time.
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Extreme mood swings, changes in eating patterns, cravings for snacks, episodes of migraine, anxiety, and increased weight just before periods are often seen in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Although the condition is manageable with lifestyle modifications, good eating habits, and the right stress management techniques, severe cases of the premenstrual dysphoric disorder may need treatment with mood stabilizers.

Other symptoms may accompany excessive hunger depending on the underlying disease, pathology, or condition. Symptoms that commonly afflict the digestive tract might affect other parts of the body.

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Excessive hunger may be accompanied by other gastrointestinal symptoms, such as:

• Diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Nausea that may be relieved by eating
• Nausea may be followed by vomiting

Physiological symptoms

Excessive hunger can be accompanied by symptoms from other physiological systems, such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleeping problems
• Nervousness
• Sweating
• Protruding eyes
• Anxiety
• Obesity
• Weight gain or loss

When to worry about excessive hunger

Excessive hunger may be accompanied by additional symptoms that signal a dangerous ailment that should be evaluated immediately in an emergency room, such as:

• Confusion
• Drowsiness
• Unconsciousness
• Pale complexion or pallor
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Coma