The Differences Between Hunger And Fear

Do you know the differences between hunger and fear? While this may seem ridiculous, the majority of us don’t actually know where one ends and another begins.

Hunger is an instinct controlled by your sympathetic nervous system. When certain hormones are released, you experience this feeling, which indicates a clear need. Then you must obtain energy so that your body can survive, and so that your body and brain can maintain their homeostasis.

On the other hand, fear is not meant to nourish the body. Instead, it serves to temporarily compensate for your emotions, feelings, and worries.

It is very important to know and understand the differences between hunger and fear. This not only helps you avoid health problems such as obesity and diabetes, but also mental health problems, such as eating disorders.

The Differences Between Hunger and Anxiety

The Federal University of Uberlândia in Brazil published an interesting study in 2017, which revealed some very important aspects of this topic:

• First, a large part of the population eats to assuage their worries. We all do this every now and then. If this happens rarely, it doesn’t mean it will become a habit, nor does it indicate a mental illness.
• Every now and then we crave foods that are very sweet or salty, because our brains are looking for satiety from that dose of endorphins or serotonin. It is an instant gratification and is short lived.

• That said, there are those who suffer from chronic anxiety that goes undetected. This kind of uneasiness finds a way out by eating food, especially compulsive and unhealthy eating behavior.

Let’s look at some tips to help you understand the differences between hunger and anxiety.

Real hunger builds gradually

The first difference between hunger and fear is that true hunger occurs when the body needs more energy. This happens as the hours go by and your body burns calories while performing daily activities.

That’s why it’s important to recognize that true hunger builds gradually. You feel a certain light sensation that gradually increases over time, until it affects your performance. You will start to feel weaker and weaker.

To avoid this type of extreme hunger, we recommend eating a light meal or healthy snack every few hours. This way you also keep your weight under control and gradually replace the energy your body uses.

On the other hand, anxiety triggers a sudden feeling of hunger. It is a strong desire and gives a hollow feeling inside.

If you experience this mental disorder, you feel the need to eat something even after a meal. Even if there is no reason to be hungry, you will desperately want something to eat. Also, it is common for hunger arising from fear to increase during the night.

Hunger arising from fear leads to craving for specific foods

Another difference between hunger and fear is that true hunger is not accompanied by the desire to eat something specific. In this case, your body is looking for the energy it needs. For this reason, you should be able to eat just about anything.

On the other hand, when you experience an anxiety attack, you will often crave foods that are high in carbohydrates. In this case, it’s best to have a piece of fruit or a healthy snack on hand, so you don’t just eat something just because it looks good.

During an anxiety attack, it is quite common to crave ultra-processed foods that are high in sugars and fats, such as junk foods and baked goods.

The problem with anxiety is that, once you give in to it, you can develop a kind of addiction. Then every time you feel anxious, you want to eat more and more of these unhealthy foods.

Anxiety will drive you to eat even when you are full

When you’re really hungry, you’re only giving your body the amount of food it needs. That’s why you stop eating when you feel full.

However, if you are anxious or stressed, you will continue to eat desperately, as if you hadn’t eaten anything at all. Your fear will then cause you to eat more food than you really need.

If you regularly experience anxiety, it is likely that you are overweight or obese. That is why it is important that you learn to process your problem with relaxation techniques. If you don’t, you could develop serious problems.

Compulsive eating and feeling guilty

The word “guilty” refers to the emotion you have when you feel that you are to blame or responsible for something that is wrong.

True hunger does not cause guilt, because it is a physiological necessity. When you meet this need, you keep your body healthy and ready to continue to function properly.

Fear, on the other hand, generates guilt. This is an effect caused by the properties of foods with a high sugar and fat content. In addition, if you continue to eat throughout the day, you will feel heavy and unable to complete your daily routines and activities.

Conclusions

It is fundamental that you know the differences between hunger and fear. If you don’t, you may enter a cycle where you eat to forget about your problems.

While this can be a quick fix for forgetting what’s bothering you, remember that it’s not a healthy behavior.

Fortunately, however, eating fiber-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, has been shown to help reduce anxiety. In addition, you should ensure that your diet is low in sugar and fat.

Think about your behavior towards food. If you realize that you are eating because of anxiety, find a professional to help you change this.

There are psychotherapies that are very effective for treating anxiety and eating disorders, no matter how mild these problems seem. Eating healthy means eating when you are really hungry and not eating to solve your problems.