We all know the feeling – it's only been an hour since your last meal and you're hungry again. Why is this so? Influenced by both biological and psychological factors, hunger is a complicated feeling. Here are five of the most common reasons why you might still feel hungry after eating and what you can do to feel full for longer.
1. You are eating the wrong type of food
Foods with a high glycemic index, such as sugary foods and drinks, white pasta, white bread and rice are digested quickly, causing blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Your body produces insulin to control your blood sugar, but once it drops too much, it causes hunger. Protein and healthy fats help you feel full longer and regulate blood sugar, reducing hunger throughout the day. Choose fish, poultry, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts and low-fat dairy products.
2. You're Not Sleeping Enough
Many of us don't realize that lack of sleep can have a direct effect on how hungry we feel, and how much we eat as a result. Research has shown that sleep deprivation can increase levels of the 'hunger hormone', ghrelin, and decrease levels of the 'fullness hormone', leptin, so make sure you get enough sleep each night to help control your appetite.
3. You are dehydrated
Instead of being hungry, you could just be thirsty. It is estimated that people incorrectly respond to thirst by eating rather than drinking more. The reason? The part of the brain known as the hypothalamus regulates both hunger and thirst and sometimes mixes the signals. So, drinking some water can be an easy solution to stop hunger pangs. Drinking water between meals also generally makes us feel fuller.
4. Low blood sugar
Feeling hungry after eating can be a symptom of hypoglycemia:an abnormally low level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. In most cases, hypoglycemia occurs in people with diabetes, usually when they have taken too much insulin, missed a meal, or exercised excessively. It can occur, although very rarely, in people who do not have diabetes. Feelings of nausea and weakness lasting 2-10 minutes before disappearing may be symptoms of hypoglycemia.
5. Emotional Eating You're not actually hungry at all, but you feel like you want to eat because it helps reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, or because you're bored or lonely. If you feel like eating and you know you're not really hungry, wait 20 minutes. You might be surprised how a simple distraction can stop you from reaching for a snack, along with all the calories and guilt that can come with it.
