6 Reasons You're Not Feeling Hungry

Hunger is a human response that alerts the body that it is running low on energy. Simply put, hunger is a mechanism that keeps the human body alive. While appetite is a psychological desire to eat, hunger is a physiological need to fuel the body and keep it going. So why is it, then, that you seem to never be hungry?

The Science Behind Hunger

To understand why you may not feel hungry, it’s helpful to look at the science behind hunger first. Communication between the body’s central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract—as well as the hormone ghrelin that signals to the body that you need to eat—have a role in determining when you feel hunger pangs strike. Ghrelin and other hormones trigger neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus region to stimulate the appetite. On the other end of the spectrum, the satiety hormone leptin lets your brain know that you’re full. This process is automatic, of course. We don’t have to think about it—it just happens.

Reasons You May Not Feel Hungry

Hunger, or more specifically, the process by which the body interprets hunger, generally works like a well-oiled machine. Still, if you’re not feeling hungry, there’s likely a good cause. Some of the reasons you may not be experiencing hunger:

• You’re just physically not hungry. Maybe you expended fewer calories than normal, or perhaps your breakfast was bigger than usual.
• You’re out of tune with hunger cues. Think of when you were a child. You ate on your own schedule when you felt hungry, and you stopped when you were full. Society now dictates when you eat—breakfast, lunch, dinner—and people often subconsciously ignore their hunger cues until the “right” time to eat rolls around.
• An underlying health condition is causing you to not feel hungry. Several health problems can result in a lack of hunger, including hypothyroidism, gastrointestinal problems, fibromyalgia, and migraines.
• Medication is interfering with cues that you’re hungry. Some medicines used to fight infection, help you sleep, or ease pain may interrupt hunger sensations.
• Your emotions are disrupting your hunger pangs. If you feel anxious, sad, or some other strong emotion, you may feel like you are not hungry at all.
• Your schedule is off. A change in your schedule can throw the body off schedule when it comes to eating. For instance, if you’ve moved to a new time zone, then having your lunch an hour earlier than usual may mean that you’re just not hungry yet.

No matter the reason for your lack of hunger, this, too, shall (usually) pass, and if it's particularly worrisome to you, see your doctor. The general consensus is to eat when you are hungry, stop eating once you’re satiated. However, if you are having trouble feeling the hunger you need to properly nourish your body, eating even if you are not hungry is recommended. So although it is important that you pay attention to your body’s hunger cues, intuitive eating ensures that your body gets the nutrition you need to keep going.