Are you losing interest in food? Or do you never feel hungry at all? If you’re concerned that your body is wasting away or you’re losing weight and feeling unhealthy, you may need to check for other symptoms to see if you have a medical problem that can be treated. With the right care, you may be able to overcome the challenge and see those once familiar hunger pangs return, or at the very least, get the nutrition your body needs.
13 Possible Causes of Not Feeling Hungry
1. Anxiety
Anxiety can cause you to lose your appetite. While some people actually feel like nibbling something to ease their anxiety or distract them, many lose their appetite. Other signs that anxiety is driving your loss of desire to eat include feelings of unease, worrying, bring irritable, finding it hard to concentrate, feeling on edge, and being overly tearful. You might also notice you breathe faster, have palpitations, have a pounding heartbeat, feel faint, or get the feeling of butterflies in your stomach.
How to cope: You will need to get help for anxiety or panic disorders from a trained medical professional. Breathing exercises can ease the stress and feelings of anxiety.Exercise may also help elevate mood and improve appetite.
2. Depression
If you are clinically depressed, your loss of appetite may be accompanied by feelings of despair, sadness, guilt, low self-esteem, and irritation toward everyone. You may also feel tired and anxious all the time and may even have suicidal thoughts. You may also lose interest in things you normally enjoy doing along with the loss of interest in food.
How to cope: Besides the professional help by way of therapy or medications, exercise can help both ease some mental anxiety and lift your mood, making you more open to eating. Plus, the physical activity could also help with your appetite as your body will feel the need to replace lost calories.
3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
IBS causes intestinal problems like a change in bowel movements as well as abdominal pain. But what can also happen is that you lose your appetite due to the feeling of fullness, buildup of gas, and increased flatulence. The pain and other symptoms usually ease after each bowel movement.
How to cope: If you make a few lifestyle changes, you should be able to ease some of the symptoms. Exercising, for instance, can really help. Ensuring you get a good night’s sleep can also ease anxiety and other symptoms.
Stimulants like cola, tea, or coffee stimulate the intestines and should be reduced. Having smaller meals and consuming more fiber also helps some people. Your healthcare provider may also suggest therapy for your anxiety or some medication to deal with symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, or pain.
4. Oral Thrush
Candidiasis, a fungal infection of the mouth, can cause a decrease in appetite due to the other symptoms associated with the infection. You may lose your sense of taste or find an odd taste in the mouth, which can make eating an unpleasant experience. The cracks and burning sensation in the mouth may also make it physically painful to chew your food. The easiest symptom to spot are the white patches of plaque that form on the surface of the inside of your mouth. While these can be wiped away, they reveal red sore patches underneath that can bleed.
How to cope: Don’t assume the infection will just go away. It could spread to other parts of the body and that’s dangerous. Ensure you practice good oral hygiene, always rinsing your mouth well after meals, brushing twice a day, flossing, and having regular dental check-ups. Take extra care if you wear dentures. If you use a corticosteroid inhaler, always rinse your mouth well with water after use. Diabetics and smokers may also be more prone to developing oral thrush and must be extra mindful.
5. B12 or Iron Deficiency Anemia
Not getting enough vitamin B12 can cause a loss of appetite. B12 deficiency anemia, a condition where your body has a low red blood cell count, may not always have very visible symptoms. However, a loss of appetite accompanied by diarrhea or constipation, pale skin, fatigue, shortness of breath, issues with concentration, and bleeding gums or a swollen red tongue are visible signs of the problem. Left unchecked, it can cause confusion, depression, or even dementia, a loss of balance, as well as tingling/numbness of the feet and hands.
An iron deficiency may also result in a dip in appetite due to inadequate hemoglobin in the red blood cells of your body. Symptoms of this problem are shortness of breath, fatigue, pale skin, headache, dizziness, cold feet and hands, chest pain, and general weakness. Some may also develop pica, a craving for non-food items like dirt or starch. Others may even have restless legs syndrome.
How to cope: Taking a B12 shot or supplements may be recommended by your doctor. In addition, ensure you have a balanced diet that includes plenty of poultry, dairy, shellfish, and eggs – foods rich in the nutrient. Vegetarians will have to take extra care to ensure they get the adequate levels through food or, if need be, supplements. Prolonged use of antacids and excessive alcohol consumptions also make it harder for your body to absorb the vitamin, so cut down on these.
Ensure you get adequate iron through red meat, green leafy vegetables, beans, dried fruits, and nuts. Sleep and exercise are important to help with overall recovery. Sometimes, multivitamins or iron supplements may be suggested.
6. Anorexia
Eating disorder anorexia is marked by a loss of appetite. You will also experience weight loss and may be unable to maintain the right weight for your height and structure as well as age. That’s because you possibly harbor a very intense fear of becoming fat – even when you might actually be underweight.
Eating a highly calorie-restricted diet, limiting what you eat, exercising too much, using laxatives and purging your body, inducing vomiting, and even binge eating may be other signs you have anorexia.
How to cope: Cognitive analytic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, focal psychodynamic therapy, and family interventions are the usual line of treatment. In addition, to help regain weight to healthy levels, you may need to work up from slowly increasing the quantum of food consumed. The goal is to establish a regular eating pattern with three meals a day. Medication may be required for some.
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