Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptoms of HungerCausesTreatmentDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms of Hunger
Causes
Treatment
Diagnosis
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Symptoms ofhungercan be more than a reminder for our next meal. Hunger is most commonly a response to food deprivation, fasting, or restricted eating, but there are other causes of hunger. Lifestyle factors, medical conditions, and medications can cause hunger. This article discusses the symptoms, causes, and treatment of hunger.
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Hunger is a physiological sensation of needing food that encourages us to seek our next meal. When the nutrients in the blood are low, the hormoneghrelin, sometimes called the “hunger hormone,” is released from the gut—these chemical messengers travel to the brain and trigger hunger.
Hunger is the sensation of needing food, while appetite is the desire to eat and enjoy foods.
Hunger can be an uncomfortable physical sensation. Symptoms of hunger include:
Hunger is innate. However, over time, many people may lose their ability to recognize the physical signs of hunger. This can happen when the body becomes disconnected from its hunger signals due to distractions, stress, and decreased metabolism from chronic dieting.
Causes of Hunger
Beyond the need to eat, other conditions can cause hunger independent of food intake, including lifestyle, blood sugar levels, medical conditions, and pregnancy.
Lifestyle
Blood Sugar
Medical Conditions
Pregnancy
Duringpregnancy, pregnant people may experience changes in hunger signs. The calories required of the pregnant parent to support fetal growth and development increase. In most cases, pregnant people need an additional 340 and 450 calories daily during the second and third trimesters.
Eating less than the recommended amount puts the fetus at risk of being born too small, which is associated with breastfeeding difficulty, illness, and developmental delays.
What Medications Can Cause Hunger?
Several types of medications are associated with hunger and weight gain. It’s important to discuss symptoms, including changes in appetite, with your healthcare provider. Common types of medications that cause hunger include:
Want to Lower Appetite? Get to Know Ghrelin and Leptin
How to Treat Hunger
If hunger is the result of food restriction and not meeting the body’s energy demands, listening to those cues and eating can treat hunger.
Eating triggers nerves in the upper digestive tract that tell the brain to turn off the hunger signal. This signaling takes time, so eating slowly allows time for the brain and body to feel full.
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Hunger?
Diagnostic tests will vary depending on your medical history. A healthcare provider may take a blood sample to check your blood sugar or thyroid hormone levels. If the underlying cause is related to lifestyle, they may ask questions to determine if dieting, sleep, stress, or smoking cessation are causing a change in hunger.
Unexplained changes in hunger and appetite may require medical attention to find the underlying cause. A healthcare provider can help rule out medical conditions like diabetes or hyperthyroidism and determine if there should be changes in medications.
Summary
A Word From Verywell
Hunger is an important cue that helps you meet your body’s needs. In cases like pregnancy, dieting, and exercise, hunger is a way to ensure you get enough nutrients. Other times, hunger can bring attention to a lifestyle behavior that needs changing or a health condition you may not be able to control. Regardless of the cause, never ignore changes in hunger or appetite.
There are many possible causes of hunger, including lifestyle factors, blood sugar levels, medical conditions, pregnancy, and certain medications.Learn MoreCauses of Hunger Symptoms
There are many possible causes of hunger, including lifestyle factors, blood sugar levels, medical conditions, pregnancy, and certain medications.
Learn MoreCauses of Hunger Symptoms
Learn More7 Reasons You May Need to Change Your Diabetes Medication
There are some reported cases of changes to hunger, appetite, and excessive eating following COVID-19. This is a rare symptom of acute-COVID-19.Learn MoreWhat Is a COVID Long-Hauler?
There are some reported cases of changes to hunger, appetite, and excessive eating following COVID-19. This is a rare symptom of acute-COVID-19.
Learn MoreWhat Is a COVID Long-Hauler?
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Davis, Jon.Hunger, ghrelin and the gut.Brain Research. 2018;1693:154-158. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.01.024Sanger GJ, Hellström PM, Näslund E.The hungry stomach: physiology, disease, and drug development opportunities.Front Pharmacol. 2011;1:145. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2010.00145Michigan State University MSU Extension.Reconnect with your hunger cues.Nymo S, Coutinho S, Eknes P, et al.Investigation of the long-term sustainability of changes in appetite after weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018;42(8):1489-1499. doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0119-9Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, and chronic disease.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Weight gain after quitting smoking: What to do.Yau YHC, Potenza MN.Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol. 2013;38(3):255-267.Malik MO, Shah M, Irfan Ul Akbar Yousufzai M, Ullah N, Burgess JA, Goosens KA.Association of acyl-ghrelin with posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents who experienced severe trauma.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(8):e2013946.Center for Disease Control.Manage blood sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Low Blood Sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Congenital leptin deficiency.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Leptin receptor deficiency.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Prader-Willi Syndrome.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Weight gain during pregnancy.Wharton S, Raiber L, Serodio KJ, Lee J, Christensen RA.Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada: a narrative review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2018;11:427-438. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S171365Kaggwa MM, Favina A, Najjuka SM, Zeba Z, Mamun MA, Bongomin F.Excessive eating and weight gain:A rare post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(5):102252. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102252
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Davis, Jon.Hunger, ghrelin and the gut.Brain Research. 2018;1693:154-158. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.01.024Sanger GJ, Hellström PM, Näslund E.The hungry stomach: physiology, disease, and drug development opportunities.Front Pharmacol. 2011;1:145. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2010.00145Michigan State University MSU Extension.Reconnect with your hunger cues.Nymo S, Coutinho S, Eknes P, et al.Investigation of the long-term sustainability of changes in appetite after weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018;42(8):1489-1499. doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0119-9Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, and chronic disease.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Weight gain after quitting smoking: What to do.Yau YHC, Potenza MN.Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol. 2013;38(3):255-267.Malik MO, Shah M, Irfan Ul Akbar Yousufzai M, Ullah N, Burgess JA, Goosens KA.Association of acyl-ghrelin with posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents who experienced severe trauma.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(8):e2013946.Center for Disease Control.Manage blood sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Low Blood Sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Congenital leptin deficiency.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Leptin receptor deficiency.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Prader-Willi Syndrome.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Weight gain during pregnancy.Wharton S, Raiber L, Serodio KJ, Lee J, Christensen RA.Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada: a narrative review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2018;11:427-438. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S171365Kaggwa MM, Favina A, Najjuka SM, Zeba Z, Mamun MA, Bongomin F.Excessive eating and weight gain:A rare post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(5):102252. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102252
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Davis, Jon.Hunger, ghrelin and the gut.Brain Research. 2018;1693:154-158. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.01.024Sanger GJ, Hellström PM, Näslund E.The hungry stomach: physiology, disease, and drug development opportunities.Front Pharmacol. 2011;1:145. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2010.00145Michigan State University MSU Extension.Reconnect with your hunger cues.Nymo S, Coutinho S, Eknes P, et al.Investigation of the long-term sustainability of changes in appetite after weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018;42(8):1489-1499. doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0119-9Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, and chronic disease.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Weight gain after quitting smoking: What to do.Yau YHC, Potenza MN.Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol. 2013;38(3):255-267.Malik MO, Shah M, Irfan Ul Akbar Yousufzai M, Ullah N, Burgess JA, Goosens KA.Association of acyl-ghrelin with posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents who experienced severe trauma.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(8):e2013946.Center for Disease Control.Manage blood sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Low Blood Sugar.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Congenital leptin deficiency.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Leptin receptor deficiency.National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Prader-Willi Syndrome.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Weight gain during pregnancy.Wharton S, Raiber L, Serodio KJ, Lee J, Christensen RA.Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada: a narrative review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2018;11:427-438. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S171365Kaggwa MM, Favina A, Najjuka SM, Zeba Z, Mamun MA, Bongomin F.Excessive eating and weight gain:A rare post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(5):102252. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102252
Davis, Jon.Hunger, ghrelin and the gut.Brain Research. 2018;1693:154-158. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2018.01.024
Sanger GJ, Hellström PM, Näslund E.The hungry stomach: physiology, disease, and drug development opportunities.Front Pharmacol. 2011;1:145. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2010.00145
Michigan State University MSU Extension.Reconnect with your hunger cues.
Nymo S, Coutinho S, Eknes P, et al.Investigation of the long-term sustainability of changes in appetite after weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018;42(8):1489-1499. doi:10.1038/s41366-018-0119-9
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, and chronic disease.
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Weight gain after quitting smoking: What to do.
Yau YHC, Potenza MN.Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol. 2013;38(3):255-267.
Malik MO, Shah M, Irfan Ul Akbar Yousufzai M, Ullah N, Burgess JA, Goosens KA.Association of acyl-ghrelin with posttraumatic stress disorder in adolescents who experienced severe trauma.JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(8):e2013946.
Center for Disease Control.Manage blood sugar.
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Low Blood Sugar.
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Congenital leptin deficiency.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Leptin receptor deficiency.
National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus.Prader-Willi Syndrome.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Weight gain during pregnancy.
Wharton S, Raiber L, Serodio KJ, Lee J, Christensen RA.Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada: a narrative review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2018;11:427-438. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S171365
Kaggwa MM, Favina A, Najjuka SM, Zeba Z, Mamun MA, Bongomin F.Excessive eating and weight gain:A rare post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(5):102252. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102252
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