WELLNESS & WELL-BEING
More Than a Rumble
SIX WAYS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE HUNGER
By Shannon Hayes Buescher
H
unger is the body’s way of telling you it needs to be
fed. For some, this is an easy sensation to identify and
a welcomed experience. For others, it is difficult to
determine when hunger is felt. They can even become
uncomfortable with just the thought of feeling hungry.
When you eat because you are “comfortably” hungry, you tend to
stop when you are satisfied and pleasantly full. But if you miss the
early signs of hunger, you will likely get to a place where your body is
screaming at you to feed it. When you are in this place, there is a strong
urgency to eat. This sort of “primal hunger” will result in overeating.
It feels as if there is no “off switch,” and the end of eating comes with
extreme fullness, often accompanied with guilt.
How your body tells you it is hungry will be different for every
person. Learning the subtle and early signs is key in the prevention of
intense hunger. Below are six ways you may experience signs of hunger.
Stomach
This may be rumbling, gurgling, emptiness or a gnawing sensation. This
is the most common sign of hunger, but there are people who do not
experience hunger here.
Head
This can be light-headedness, foggy thinking, headache, difficulty
focusing and increased thoughts about food.
Mood
This is being “hangry.” Your mood is tanking, and you feel more irritable
and cranky.
Throat and esophagus
This can be experienced as a gnawing feeling in the back of the throat
or a dull ache.
Energy
You may find yourself getting sleepy and tired, or maybe even apathetic
toward doing anything.
Numbness
Feeling a sense of overall lethargy.
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GAZELLE
Some people tend to be very connected to their body and are
introspectively aware of how it feels and what it needs. For others,
connecting to the body is difficult, especially if there is a history of
ignoring body cues, whether it is from chronic dieting, not prioritizing
food, becoming emotionally numb with food, or even trauma. When
there is a body disconnect, it is difficult to sense subtle cues of hunger.
Learning to connect and feel the sensations of your body is an
integral step in increasing body introspectiveness. Starting steps can
be deep breathing for five minutes, or checking in with yourself a few
times a day on how you feel overall - good, bad or neutral. The practice
of stopping and checking in will create more of a connection.
Setting up a meal schedule of eating every three to four hours can
also help you become more aware of hunger. Set an alarm to remind
yourself to eat meals and snacks by a certain time. When you lack the
internal awareness, the visual reminder often helps.
Hunger is an innate cue of your body. When you connect and listen, you
gain more trust in it. With this trust, you create a more intuitive relationship
with food and more importantly, yourself.
Buescher is a registered and licensed dietitian.
She has over 15 years of experience with nutritional
counseling in sports nutrition, eating disorders and
a non-diet approach to food. Visit her website at
hayes-nutrition.com.