Are you always hungry? Here are the five possible reasons why

DO you find that you’re always jonesing for a snack? Here are five possible reasons why you’re always hungry.

WE all have those days where no matter how much you eat, you’re never totally satisfied.

But before you reach for yet another salty snack or sweet treat, these reasons for constant hunger might give you some food for thought.

Too many carbs

Carbs, wonderful carbs.

These three words are every food-lover’s worst nightmare — but it turns out that unfortunately there is such a thing as too many carbs.

Shona Wilkinson, Head Nutritionist at NutriCentre, explains: “Eating a carbohydrate-heavy meal the night before can be a reason for feeling hungry the next day, even after eating! When we eat lots of carbohydrates in one sitting, they are absorbed quickly into the body as sugars.

“This spike of sugars (glucose in particular) in our blood causes a surge of insulin to be released, the hormone that stimulates our cells to take up glucose. As all the sugar is quickly removed from the blood, this triggers hunger and more carbohydrate cravings. You might even wake up with cravings in the night if this happens!

“To avoid this happening, it’s best to avoid refined carbohydrates, and choose meals containing a moderate amount of unrefined carbohydrates (think sweet potatoes, brown rice or quinoa) combined with a good portion of protein, such as a piece of fish or chicken, and a big serving of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli or other green veg.

“This will allow those carbohydrates to be digested and absorbed more slowly, keep you fuller for longer and won’t cause the surge of insulin that makes your blood sugar drop.”

You need to spend longer in bed

Sleep could be the problem.

With many of us working long hours and maintaining a busy social life, it can be easy to miss out on crucial hours of sleep. But while not getting enough sleep obviously makes you tired, you might not realise it can also make you hungry.

Shona says: “Short sleep duration has been found to reduce levels of a hormone called leptin, which inhibits hunger, and increase levels of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger. This is one reason why poor sleep may lead to weight gain too.”

If you have trouble switching off at the end of the day, nutritionists recommend taking magnesium supplements such as Quest Vitamins’ Synergistic Magnesium to help relax your muscles and in turn help you sleep.

You don’t drink enough

Are you drinking enough water?

We all know we’re meant to drink eight glasses of water a day — but sometimes thirst can actually be mistaken for hunger. Plenty of us are too quick to interpret thirst as needing a snack, when actually we’re just craving water.

Shona explains: “Water is also needed in order for our cells to make use of the nutrients in the food that we eat; and lack of nutrient availability causes our body to crave more food. This is another reason to make sure you’re drinking water throughout the day and not just when this craving strikes.

“Drinking water between meals also generally makes us feel fuller and can help to manage our appetite. It’s important, however, not to drink lots of water immediately before, during or after a meal: this dilutes the digestive juices and can have a negative impact on our digestion.”

You’re getting your period

Bring on the munchies.

It’s a cliche that women love to eat chocolate during their time of the month — but the stereotypes could be based on truth, as women’s appetites are known to increase in the lead up to their period.

But while it’s ever-so-tempting to completely pig out, these cravings can be managed by eating a balanced diet and taking a supplement to help stabilise your blood glucose levels, such as Quest’s Equigluco tablets.

Shona suggests: “To help balance your blood sugar levels and manage these cravings, it’s essential to focus on eating protein-containing foods with each meal (fish, meat, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds), and minimise your intake of processed and refined carbohydrates and sugars.

“It’s also known that caffeine and alcohol can have a significant effect on hormone balance too, and so these should be kept to a minimum.”

You’re eating for two

It may be your unborn child’s fault that you’re always snacking.

It makes sense that a woman’s appetite increases during pregnancy — but experts say that it shouldn’t be seen as an excuse to eat twice as much junk food.

Shona says: “It is more important than ever to make healthy choices at this time. This means eating real, wholesome foods and avoiding processed and refined foods and too many sugary treats.

“Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy foods and prepare healthy snacks in advance when you can.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun.

Originally published as Are you always hungry? Here are the five possible reasons why