How To Stop Diabetes Hunger

One of the most challenging aspects of living with diabetes is that you may feel hungry very often and crave more food, especially sugary food. Excessive hunger,also known as polyphagia, is a condition common in people with diabetes. There are several ways you can manage your cravings so that you can stop diabetes hunger from causing more damage to your health.

About diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar is excessively high and occurs when your body either can’t produce insulin or can’t use the insulin it produces.¹

There are several processes involved in the development of diabetes including:

1. Destruction of the B-cells of the pancreas - results in a lack of insulin production.
2. Abnormal breakdown of carbohydrate/fat/protein - results in less effect of insulin on target tissue in the body¹

Both processes of developing high blood sugar can occur simultaneously in a patient.¹ 

According to the CDC, you should seek an immediate medical attention to get your blood sugar tested if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Are very thirsty
• Urinate a lot, especially at night
• Feel very hungry
• Have blurry vision
• Often feel very tired
• Lose weight without effort
• Experience numb or tingling hands or feet
• Have dry skin
• Have sores that do not heal fast
• Get infection than usual

Having high blood sugar can lead to diabetes-related complications which can be long-term for example:

• Kidney disease
• Leg and foot problems
• Heart disease
• Eye disease (retinopathy)
• Nerve damage
• Anxiety
• Erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Amputation
• Diabetic ketoacidosis

These complications can be life-threatening, though you can reduce the risk of developing these complications by managing your blood sugar levels properly.

Are diabetic person always hungry? 

Excessive hunger and increase in your appetite is one of the main symptoms of diabetes. This is called polyphagia.

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it is vital to adhere to a healthy diet but in order to help stave off food cravings, it should consist of food that you in enjoy and adequate enough meal portions. 

After you eat a meal, your body breaks down the food into simple sugars. A hormone known as insulin is responsible for getting these sugars from your bloodstream to other parts of your body like the cells where they are used for energy to help your body function well.

In the case of a person with diabetes, the body can’t produce insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or doesn’t use insulin properly (Type 2 diabetes). This causes the sugar to stay in the body leading to a high blood sugar level and is removed through the urine instead of the normal way the cells use it for energy.

This means cells no longer have enough energy to work properly and because the brain plays a significant role in the amount of food you eat, body weight, and blood glucose levels, the cells send hunger signals to your brain (essentially telling the body to consume enough sugar that it needs to function). This process resultantly encourages excessive eating and causes a rise in blood glucose levels.² 

People also experience excessive hunger when their blood sugar level is low (hypoglycemia). In hypoglycemia, the amount of insulin in the bloodstream is high, and too little sugar. For a person with diabetes, low blood sugar can occur when there is an imbalance between blood sugar and insulin, especially if you take medications to control diabetes or insulin. Hypoglycemia often occurs at night and may lead to late-night snacking tendancies.³

How to stop diabetes hunger

The CDC recommends that if you are routinely experiencing signs of excessive hunger (polyphagia), with or without diabetes, you should see a healthcare provider at once. To stop excessive food cravings due to diabetes, you need to understand your body and the craving signals to better control much food you eat andyour weight. 

The various ways to stop diabetes hunger are:

Prevent low blood sugar 

The first step to overcoming excessive food cravings is to ensure your blood sugar level is well controlled, which is important for people with diabetes.

When you have low blood sugar (usually when your blood glucose is less than 70 mg/dL), you can raise low blood sugar using the following methods:.

• Glucose tablets -often come in chewable form packed with sugar for a quick way to increase low blood sugar levels
• Sugary drinks and snacks - things like sugary juices and hard candies/soft jellies are rapidly absorbed into the blood to resolve low blood sugar
• Carbohydrates -  these often take longer to raise your glucose levels, for example, bread, chocolate, or cereal bars

Diet regulation

Diet and lifestyle changes are recommended to treat obesity. Those who lose weight regain it over time due to the body's regulation system. Excessive food craving occurs when the cells in the body no longer have enough energy to function. The cells activate brain appetite control centers that cause excessive hunger and weight gain by encouraging food-seeking cravings.⁴ 

Based on the above, it is important that people with diabetes adhere to eating well-balanced and healthy diabetes diets. The goal of having a diabetes diet is to control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of short- and long-term diabetes complications.⁷ The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the study of Diabetes recommend a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) and support the use of a short-calorie diet for weight loss.⁵

Low-carbohydrate diets control carbohydrate consumption relative to the average diet. Foods high in carbohydrates like sugar, bread, and pasta are reduced and replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fat and protein such as meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds, as well as low carbohydrate foods examples are spinach, kale, chard, collards, and fibrous vegetables.⁶

Other methods to stop diabetes hunger include:

• Eat with other people to help slow you down when eating too much 
• Drink plenty of water at mealtimes (rather than sugary tea or calorific drinks) and you can also train yourself to drink water when getting a craving
• Identify your triggers and distinguish real hunger from craving hunger
• Improve your sleep habits and remove all distractions around you at bedtime
• Remove unhealthy food and snacks from your kitchen to avoid being tempted to eat them during cravings (instead reach for filling snacks such as nuts, celery, and low-sugar snack bars)
• Don’t multitask while eating, especially when watching TV or working as this prevents mindful eating (paying attention to the foods taste and reaching the feeling of fullness) and you will keep craving food more to satisfy your hunger

Lifestyle changes

Regular exercise and behavioral changes help to stop diabetes hunger. Keep in mind you may not be able to resist all cravings all of the time - you should decide for yourself but always try to make healthy choices. 

Uncontrolled excessive food cravings in people with diabetes (T2DM) could be a risk factor for the development of obesity and other related health issues such as heart disease. Recent studies have shown that regular physical activity had positive effects on improving and regulating appetite control, therefore preventing obesity and ill health.⁷

There are various kinds of exercises for people with diabetes that will help control food cravings and insulin production and improve body and brain functions, for example:

• Running (outside or treadmill)
• Swimming
• Weightlifting
• Ball sports⁸

FAQs

Should diabetics skip meals?

People with diabetes face the same consequences as everyone else when it comes to skipping meals - when you don’t eat for a period of time, there is an imbalance between the amount of food in your system intake and insulin production which can cause your blood sugar levels to drop. This can be especially dangerous to your health if you have diabetes because it can lead to uncontrollable drops and spikes in your blood sugar, therefore it is not advisable to skip meals if you have the condition. Additionally, if you are on certain medication or insulin to control your blood sugar levels, it is important you know what your normal blood sugar range is and how to perform blood sugar testing at home. 

Do you feel hungry when blood sugar is high?

If you have diabetes, one of its main symptoms is excessive hunger (also called polyphagia). Blood sugars over 140mg/dl are considered high and can cause hunger pangs or make you feel hungry all the time.

What time of day is blood sugar highest?

Blood sugar levels are usually at their highest peak in the morning between 4 am and 8 am. This is known as “the dawn phenomenon” and occurs because hormones  that cause increased insulin resistance and resulting accumulation of sugar in the bloodstream are naturally released overnight.

Does fasting lower blood sugar?

Intermittent fasting can improve insulin sensitivity (how your body and blood sugar levels respond to insulin) and decrease fasting blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, if you have diabetes it is dangerous to let your blood sugar levels drop extremely low. If you choose to fast, you should test your blood sugar levels more often as they may drop too low after eight hours of fasting.

What does diabetes hunger feel like?

Diabetes hunger can be described as a constant feeling of hunger regardless of how much food you do or don’t eat. It is a way your body reacts to food cravings because the cells in your body aren't getting enough energy to function properly (because insulin resistance stops sugar from entering the bodies cells to and provide energy). 

Summary

Diabetes hunger is a common symptom of diabetes. If your blood sugar levels are too high or too low, you can experience excessive hunger or food cravings. Increased hunger is not a specific disease but it may have some mental or emotional impact on your health, especially if you struggle with food or your weight. Excessive food cravings are best managed by pinpointing the underlying cause - in this case, diabetes. You can stop diabetes-hunger by controlling your blood sugar levels within their normal range, eating a healthy diet and making lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. Controlling your excessive food cravings when you have diabetes (especially type-2 diabetes) could also decrease the risk of developingobesity and its comorbidities including insulin resistance, heart disease, and some common cancers.