Anyone who has experienced it will know that eating without hunger is one of the worst feelings you can have. We need to eat and if our diet is not enough it affects our state of health and energy, but what happens when you don’t feel like eating?
The causes of poor appetite can be many, from simple transitory states to serious health problems, so it is important to listen to your own body and see if you have any type of symptoms that can help you know what is happening to you. For now, in the following article we will explain why I don’t feel like eating.
Loss of appetite from infection
Any viral or bacterial infection can lead to a loss of appetite. In quite common among the symptoms of, for example, the flu, find the lack of desire to eat. Due to the physical changes that the sick person experiences: cough, fatigue, heaviness, joint pain and fever, a weakness is created that manifests itself through loss of appetite.
Fortunately, this is a transitory situation, once the body fights the infectious agents and overcomes the contagion, the situation returns to normal, along with the desire to eat.
Lack of appetite for anxiety
When someone has anxiety, it is common for it to be accompanied by either an increase in the desire to eat or a loss of appetite. Be that as it may, the origin of both disorders is purely emotional. Something similar happens in those who have suffered a recent loss, who are facing difficult times or who experience periods of stress.
The reason this happens is that the same area of the brain that regulates emotions does so with hunger or sexual urges. This part of the brain, called the hypothalamus, is too busy trying to restore altered emotions, so that it somehow loses control over its other functions.
Loss of appetite in the elderly
In a sense, this section is closely linked to the previous one. Some older people, whether due to boredom, stress, or simply a change in their metabolism, gradually begin to lose their appetite. The American Institute of Health has carried out various studies in this regard and has come to the conclusion that the seriousness of this problem is that in the vast majority of cases, the family and those around do not realize it until it is done. Advanced, when the first symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration appear.
Lack of appetite and cancer
Not in all cases, but changes in appetite are a common symptom among those with cancer and also among those receiving chemotherapy treatment. Depending on the case, it can be of different severity, from feeling satisfied with less food to completely losing hunger. The problem in these situations is that weight loss or the fact that the body does not absorb the necessary nutrients can lead to the suspension of treatment and even complications in the disease.
If that is your case, it is essential that you consult your medical team so that they find the exact cause and you can eat as you should, because if your nutrition is not adequate it is likely that your recovery will slow down.
Loss of appetite in pregnancy
Among women who are pregnant, lack of appetite is common and normal. Although diet is a crucial pillar in the development of the fetus and vital for the health of both, the loss of appetite can complicate the task of eating a balanced diet that provides all the nutrients that the body needs.
There are different causes that make pregnant women not feel like eating, but among them the increase in gonadotropin, a hormone typical of pregnancy and the relaxation of the stomach muscles, which causes constipation and other conditions, stands out.
As for the first cause, the increase in gonadotropin causes alterations in the woman’s body, such as vomiting and nausea, which make her appetite disappear. Its action can be observed mainly in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Because I do not have hungry? Other causes
Beyond what we have already told you, there are other diseases and medical conditions that among their symptoms include loss of appetite, below we list the most relevant:
- the renal failure
- the heart failure
- hepatitis
- The hiv
- the hypothyroidism
In addition to systemic conditions, there are certain lifestyle habits or external elements that can cause you not to be hungry:
- The use of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines or heroin.
- Consumption of medications such as antibiotics.
- Dehydration
How to combat a lack of appetite
If after a while your desire to eat does not improve and you are losing weight, you should visit a doctor to diagnose the cause of your alteration and to design an appropriate treatment for your case. Here we give you a series of tips so that you know what to do to eat:
- Think of food as a medicine that will cure you.
- Never skip breakfast.
- Eat small meals but often.
- Eat things that are easy to digest but provide calories, such as yogurts, soups, or jellies.
- If you eat meat, add sauces, use butter, milk and oils that increase calories.
- Create a suitable eating environment that is pleasant to you.
- Always eat in company.
- Eat in the company of other family members.
- Instead of drinking during meals, do it between meals.
- Practice sports, especially light exercises before eating.
- If you have strange flavors in your mouth you can take menthol candies to eliminate them.
