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 could have some bizarre dysfunction since you’re at all times hungry, it’s best to know that polyphagia is normally linked to underlying well being points reminiscent of hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or some psychological issues.
Extreme starvation is a symptom, not a situation, because it signifies one thing else is occurring in your physique that you might want to wrap your arms round and perceive.
Managing and treating polyphagia might have a mixture of treatment, way of life adjustments, and remedy, relying on the underlying trigger. Clearly, a health care provider could be the individual to find out what would should be carried out, however maybe this text might allow you to perceive in case you have such a situation.
On this article, we’ll dive deeper and be taught extra about polyphagia and how one can assist deal with it if it’s decided you could have such a situation.
Disclaimer: This text is for informational functions solely and isn’t meant to deal with or diagnose any situation. It is suggested that you just converse together with your physician earlier than beginning any train program, making adjustments 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 ordinary. This could make somebody eat far more meals than they normally would.
For instance, folks with uncontrolled diabetes might 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 vitality, the individual feels hungry and eats extra to compensate for the misplaced vitality.
Polyphagia is usually linked to polydipsia, which suggests feeling extraordinarily thirsty. In diabetes, the kidneys work tougher to take away additional sugar by way of urine. This makes the individual lose extra fluids, inflicting them to drink extra water than ordinary.
That stated, simply since you’re thirsty on a regular basis doesn’t imply you could 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 wish to hunt medical consideration to assist fight it.
6 Causes of Polyphagia
Beneath are a few of the main causes of polyphagia:
1. Diabetes
There are several types of diabetes, with sort 1 and sort 2 being the most typical.
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 vitality. 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.
In addition to elevated starvation (polyphagia), widespread indicators of diabetes embrace:
- Frequent urination, particularly at night time
- Feeling very thirsty
- Numbness or tingling in palms and ft
- Excessive tiredness
- Gradual-healing wounds
- Getting infections extra usually
- Unintentional weight reduction
- Blurry imaginative and prescient
- Individuals with sort 1 diabetes might also 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 ordinary.
Different signs of hyperthyroidism embrace:
- Extreme sweating
- Bother sleeping
- Unexplained weight reduction
- Feeling nervous or anxious
- Hair loss
3. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a gaggle 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 adjustments 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.
In addition to elevated starvation (polyphagia), different signs of PMS embrace:
- Temper swings
- Breast tenderness
- Feeling drained
- Bloating
- Pimples
- Coronary heart palpitations
- Swelling within the ft and ankles
- Water retention
- Weight achieve
- Cramps
- Again or muscle ache
- Low intercourse drive
4. Lack of sleep
Sleep deprivation impacts hormones that management starvation, probably growing urge for food and resulting in higher-calorie meals selections. Sleep high quality can be important; circumstances like sleep apnea can improve meals consumption.
Once you don’t get sufficient sleep, you may also expertise:
- Daytime drowsiness
- Temper fluctuations
- Reminiscence points
- Bother focusing
5. Nervousness or melancholy
Power stress is linked to main depressive dysfunction (MDD) and nervousness issues. These circumstances expose the physique to excessive cortisol ranges, a stress hormone that raises blood sugar and will increase the danger of insulin resistance. These adjustments can result in excessive starvation (polyphagia).
Even when you solely expertise nervousness or melancholy often, your urge for food should still improve. Stress hastens metabolism, inflicting you to burn energy sooner and really feel hungry even after consuming.
There’s additionally an emotional facet to this, generally known as stress consuming, the place meals gives consolation. Extreme nervousness can generally 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 manage what or how a lot they eat. If binge consuming causes misery, it might be an indication of binge consuming dysfunction (BED).
Consuming so much often doesn’t imply somebody has a dysfunction. Nonetheless, if binge consuming occurs at the very least as soon as every week for 3 months and feels uncontrollable, it might point out BED.
Signs of binge consuming embrace:
- Consuming a considerable amount of meals in a short while (reminiscent of inside two hours)
- Consuming so much even when not hungry
- Consuming alone resulting from embarrassment about meals consumption
- Feeling unable to cease or management consuming
- Consuming a lot sooner than ordinary throughout a binge
- Consuming till uncomfortably full