by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
Have you ever ever heard the time period polyphagia? If not, you’re not alone, as most individuals have most likely by no means heard of it. What if I requested you in regards to the time period starvation? Now you’re monitoring, proper?
Polyphagia is deemed an elevated urge for food or extreme starvation.
However earlier than you assume you may have some bizarre dysfunction since you’re at all times hungry, you need to know that polyphagia is normally linked to underlying well being points akin to hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or some psychological issues.
Extreme starvation is a symptom, not a situation, because it signifies one thing else is going on in your physique that you might want to wrap your arms round and perceive.
Managing and treating polyphagia may have a mixture of treatment, way of life modifications, and remedy, relying on the underlying trigger. Clearly, a physician could be the particular person to find out what would must be accomplished, however maybe this text could assist you perceive in case you have such a situation.
On this article, we are going to dive deeper and be taught extra about polyphagia and how one can assist deal with it if it’s decided you may have such a situation.
Disclaimer: This text is for informational functions solely and isn’t meant to deal with or diagnose any situation. It’s endorsed that you just communicate together with your physician earlier than beginning any train program, making modifications to your diet plan, or including any new dietary supplements into your present routine.
What’s Polyphagia?
Polyphagia means feeling extraordinarily hungry or having a bigger urge for food than normal. This will make somebody eat rather more meals than they normally would.
For instance, folks with uncontrolled diabetes could expertise this. When an excessive amount of sugar (glucose) builds up within the blood, the physique tries to take away it by way of urine. Because the physique isn’t utilizing the sugar for power, the particular person feels hungry and eats extra to compensate for the misplaced power.
Polyphagia is commonly linked to polydipsia, which implies feeling extraordinarily thirsty. In diabetes, the kidneys work tougher to take away additional sugar by way of urine. This makes the particular person lose extra fluids, inflicting them to drink extra water than normal.
That stated, simply since you’re thirsty on a regular basis doesn’t imply you may have polydipsia. For instance, I’m extremely lively and thirsty on a regular basis. My thirst is because of my exercise and fluid replenishment from sweat. Not as a result of I’ve one thing like polydipsia and want to hunt medical consideration to assist fight it.
6 Causes of Polyphagia
Beneath are a number of the main causes of polyphagia:
1. Diabetes
There are various kinds of diabetes, with kind 1 and kind 2 being the commonest.
Kind 1 diabetes is an autoimmune situation the place the physique stops making insulin utterly.
Kind 2 diabetes occurs when the physique’s cells don’t reply correctly to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar. At first, the pancreas tries to make additional insulin, however over time, it slows down or stops producing sufficient.
Insulin is important as a result of it helps transfer sugar from the blood into the physique’s cells for power. With out sufficient insulin, sugar builds up within the blood, which might result in severe well being issues like coronary heart, kidney, and eye illness.
Moreover elevated starvation (polyphagia), widespread indicators of diabetes embrace:
- Frequent urination, particularly at evening
- Feeling very thirsty
- Numbness or tingling in fingers and ft
- Excessive tiredness
- Gradual-healing wounds
- Getting infections extra usually
- Unintentional weight reduction
- Blurry imaginative and prescient
- Individuals with kind 1 diabetes may really feel nauseous, vomit, or have abdomen ache.
2. Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland works too quick. The thyroid produces hormones that management many features in your physique, together with metabolism.
When extreme thyroid hormone is made, your metabolism hastens, making you are feeling hungrier than normal.
Different signs of hyperthyroidism embrace:
- Extreme sweating
- Hassle sleeping
- Unexplained weight reduction
- Feeling nervous or anxious
- Hair loss
3. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a bunch of bodily and emotional signs that happen one to 2 weeks earlier than a interval.
One widespread symptom of PMS is meals cravings. This occurs as a result of PMS is linked to modifications within the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which might decrease serotonin ranges. Serotonin helps management urge for food, so when the degrees drop, starvation will increase.
Moreover elevated starvation (polyphagia), different signs of PMS embrace:
- Temper swings
- Breast tenderness
- Feeling drained
- Bloating
- Zits
- Coronary heart palpitations
- Swelling within the ft and ankles
- Water retention
- Weight acquire
- Cramps
- Again or muscle ache
- Low intercourse drive
4. Lack of sleep
Sleep deprivation impacts hormones that management starvation, doubtlessly rising urge for food and resulting in higher-calorie meals selections. Sleep high quality can also be important; situations like sleep apnea can improve meals consumption.
If you don’t get sufficient sleep, you may additionally expertise:
- Daytime drowsiness
- Temper fluctuations
- Reminiscence points
- Hassle focusing
5. Anxiousness or despair
Continual stress is linked to main depressive dysfunction (MDD) and nervousness issues. These situations expose the physique to excessive cortisol ranges, a stress hormone that raises blood sugar and will increase the danger of insulin resistance. These modifications can result in excessive starvation (polyphagia).
Even should you solely expertise nervousness or despair often, your urge for food should still improve. Stress hastens metabolism, inflicting you to burn energy quicker and really feel hungry even after consuming.
There may be additionally an emotional aspect to this, often called stress consuming, the place meals gives consolation. Extreme nervousness can typically result in binge consuming, a situation related to many temper issues.
6. Binge consuming dysfunction
Binge consuming occurs when an individual eats a considerable amount of meals in a short while and feels unable to regulate what or how a lot they eat. If binge consuming causes misery, it could be an indication of binge consuming dysfunction (BED).
Consuming lots often doesn’t imply somebody has a dysfunction. Nonetheless, if binge consuming occurs no less than as soon as every week for 3 months and feels uncontrollable, it could point out BED.
Signs of binge consuming embrace:
- Consuming a considerable amount of meals in a short while (akin to inside two hours)
- Consuming lots even when not hungry
- Consuming alone as a consequence of embarrassment about meals consumption
- Feeling unable to cease or management consuming
- Consuming a lot quicker than normal throughout a binge
- Consuming till uncomfortably full
