Do you feel hungry all the time? It’s called “polyphagia” or “hyperphagia” and it could be a symptom of Type 2 diabetes, but it can have other causes like imbalances, stress, anxiety or depression. If you’re eating well but feel like you’re starving, be sure to see your doctor so that you can work together to discover the reasons why food doesn’t satisfy you.

In this article, we’ll look at polyphagia and Type 2 diabetes. Does Type 2 diabetes cause hunger? It certainly can, and we’ll look at why this happens - but do remember that it isn’t the only possible explanation for constant hunger. Nothing beats seeing your doctor about symptoms such as this.

Recognising the Symptoms of Polyphagia

You have a huge appetite, but no matter how much you eat, you never really feel as if you’ve had enough. That could lead to you eating way more than you ever did before, bingeing on all the foods that you find yourself thinking of far more often than you ordinarily would. You might gain weight, or you might find that no matter how much you eat, you don’t gain weight, or even lose it. Whatever the results of your unusually high drive to eat, something is clearly not right. Talk to your doctor!

What Causes Polyphagia in Type 2 Diabetes?

It’s actually quite easy to understand hunger and Type 2 diabetes once you know the physical reasons why it occurs. Here’s what happens. As you probably know, diabetes is related to insufficient insulin or your body not responding to insulin.

When you eat, the absorbed nutrients cause your blood sugar levels to rise. Ordinarily, insulin would tell your body to use the sugar in your blood to power it. Your cells absorb the sugars to fuel your vital processes. But with insulin not working as it should, this simply doesn’t happen. Your bloodstream is awash with energy-giving glucose, but your cells still don’t get the energy they need to function.

With your body starved of energy, it triggers hunger signals, asking you to eat more. But, no matter how much you eat, the fuel isn’t getting used. Your body turns on itself and starts using up muscle and fat to fuel it. You start losing weight even though you’re eating far more than you used to - and you’re still hungry.

Usually, people only feel hungry when they have low blood sugar levels. That’s because your body is craving energy from food. But in Type 2 diabetes, your blood sugar can be very high, even dangerously high, but it is harder to use the energy source, you feel hungry.

Feeling Hungry All the Time Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You Have Type 2 Diabetes

So far, everything makes sense, and that feeling of hunger is accounted for. But, as we mentioned earlier, being hungry all the time doesn’t necessarily mean you have Type 2 diabetes.

As an example, we can look at hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland is overactive and overproduces hormones. This causes your metabolism to speed up. Your cells are able to get energy from glucose in your bloodstream, but they use it up at an abnormally high speed. Blood sugar levels fall rapidly, and your body still needs more energy. It signals that you need to eat, but even if you eat a lot, you still find yourself losing weight.

Other reasons for constant hunger include dehydration, dietary deficiencies, medications, stress, and the menopause. That’s besides the obvious possibility that you simply aren’t eating enough. The only way you can be sure of the reasons for polyphagia is to go for a medical checkup. Doctors can do blood tests to see how your body is dealing with glucose, check your medical history, and pinpoint the reason for the problem.

I’m Losing Weight But Eating a Lot: Should I Be Worried?

If you’re overweight, you’ve probably been told you need to lose weight for medical reasons. Or, perhaps, you want to shed a few kilograms for aesthetic reasons. But losing weight when eating normally, or more than you normally do, is a sign of trouble that could cause physical damage far more quickly than simply being overweight can.

If Type 2 diabetes is the reason why your body is breaking down muscle and fat instead of using food to fuel it, you probably have plenty of glucose in your blood that isn’t being used. It can cause significant harm. While that excess fat is melting away, high blood glucose can damage your circulatory system and your nervous system causing complications and increasing your risks or problems like heart attacks or strokes.

How Scared Should You Be if Your Polyphagia is Caused by Type 2 Diabetes?

Sometimes, people don’t want to visit the doctor because they’re afraid of receiving bad news. But, with your life to live and a family depending on you, early diagnosis is the best way to treat the problem as many of the complications of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented with good control. A healthy lifestyle and the right medication will help you to enjoy a healthy, happy, and productive life.

If it turns out that you do have Type 2 diabetes, there’s a lot that can be done by doctors, and a lot you can do for yourself, that will help you to live normally. Sure, you’ll have to mind your diet. You may have to keep tabs on your blood sugar levels. You might even have to use supplementary insulin - but with early diagnosis, you’ll be able to live as well, if not better, than anyone else can. Polyphagia? If you have diabetes and keep your blood sugar levels under control, you won’t experience it.

There’s one complication that you may not have been expecting, however. Getting Life insurance may be more challenging when you have Type 2 diabetes. At Blueberry Life, however, we know better. You want peace of mind and the assurance that your family will be financially stable if you were to pass away. Find out about our life insurance for people living with chronic conditions today or fill in our online application form.

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Reviewed by Dr. Kingshuk Pal