Anxiety and loss of Appetite (A Guide)

It is an individual phenomenon that some people in stress lose their appetite.

Anxiety and loss of appetite have a great connection but some people do not have an association between anxiety and loss of appetite, they feel more hunger when they are in stress or become more anxious.

All human beings have different reactions to the situation even if the physiological response is different.

According to Goodwin, it is better to understand his association for understanding the phenomena behind anxiety and loss of appetite and the quotation is “My stomach had been in a knot and my heart [had been] in my throat for months”.

It is also called that eating is an unnecessary expense regarding worry and inconvenience. Often people report that whenever they feel stressed or anxious they lose their hunger.

Even some people reported that when they are occupied with any important task they do not feel hunger.

Some people reported that in anxious events eating something made me nauseated and tasks, like cooking or doing dishes, seemed overwhelming and insignificant when compared to my bigger problems.

Thus all these verbatim which were reported by the different people shows that anxiety and loss of appetite have a great connection.

Examples of anxiety and loss of appetite:

1.      A patient reported that he was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder due to the lack of hunger and vanishes from hunger, the reason behind the hunger will be the last semester of my degree which is very necessary for me to pass out.

2.      A patient reported that she is involved in binge eating or indulge in rich foods when stressed, there’s a small group of people who lose their appetite during moments of high anxiety.

According to the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition reported that there are very few common people who respond to stress by binge eating.

It is the focus of the brain that in a stressful environment we cannot respond properly, it might be due to the issue of managing focus on one main object that becomes the cause of anxiety.

There are a significant number of people who lose their appetite when they’re anxious.

According to the American Psychological Association’s 2015 survey, 39 percent of people reported they’ve overeaten or eaten unhealthy foods in the past month due to stress, while 31 percent said they’ve skipped a meal because of stress.

The fight-or-flight response under anxiety and loss of appetite

1.      There is a biological response of the human body when there is any problem that might be in a phase of occurrence.

The body prepares itself to respond properly to the situation. This phenomenon is called “fight or flight response”. To understand the history of this phenomenon we need to explore it in detail.

Thousands of years ago, anxiety was the result of behavior that occurred due to the uncomfortable, stressful, or distressing events such as being chased by a tiger.

Some people might have a response after seeing the tiger run away as fast as they can.

Other people might lose their sense and freeze or hide. Some individuals might respond to chase the tiger and have an exciting feeling to see it.  

There is the same principle that helped us to explore the principle of association between anxiety and loss of appetite.

A certain individual loses their appetite while others might overeat.

Example of anxiety and loss of appetite:

 Different people respond differently to different circumstances.

The event considered that the tiger is on the tail, one reported I cannot do anything instead of running.

Then there are other people who try to make themselves more relaxed or more in a pleasurable state. The people who relaxed these scenarios have no association with anxiety and loss of appetite.

They eat more food to tackle this scenario. People who lose their appetite are expended from their stress or anxiety and they cannot do anything else including necessary tasks like eating.

A patient-reported the event that he has the deadline of a task in the office. The task was very important and needed to submit in the morning.

My performance was also judged by the CEO due to this task. I felt too much stress and was unable to complete that task. I request my wife to complete the deadline as I have cramps in my stomach.

I began furiously typing away. I found myself missing breakfast, then missing lunch, then realizing it was 3 p.m. and I still hadn’t eaten. I wasn’t hungry but knew I should probably eat something since I often get migraines when my blood sugar is too low.

Thus this example reveals that the anxiety and loss of appetite is related to some of the individuals I have a hard time with.

This can pose a problem at the nutritional level since it is possible that after a long time, there is a lack of vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the body. If you think this could be happening to you, check out which are the best minerals for anxiety and our extensive list of 10 Vitamins for Anxiety.

2.   Physical sensations or link of anxiety and loss of appetite

Most of the time, stress became the cause of the physical sensation. Physical association is greatly associated with anxiety and has a knot in the stomach.

People have the insight that they should eat but there is no control over the eating of themselves.

Often people reported that they lose weight during the stress or anxious time.

They even forced themselves to nibble but found no desire for eating anything.

A patient-reported after the sudden death of her father that;

 “I knew I should eat, but I just couldn’t, the thought of chewing anything put me in a tailspin. It was a chore to drink water.”

From the above-mentioned example, anxiety and loss of appetite can get an idea that those people who lose their appetite due to the physical sensations associated with anxiety make the thought of eating unappetizing.

These sensations might lead to the difficulty of being in tune with hunger and plumpness cues.

If someone is feeling intensely nauseous due to stress, it will be challenging to accurately read when the body is experiencing hunger,”

Different physicians also reported from their experience that “some people also lose their appetite due to the increase in cortisol (the stress hormone), which releases in the body during times of high anxiety.

In the acute or intense stressful environment, stress causes increased levels of cortisol, which in turn increases acid production in the stomach.

This process of cortisol release helps the body quickly digest food in preparation for ‘fight-or-flight,’ which is mediated by adrenaline. This process also, for the same reasons, decreases appetite.

There are different negative points in which our body suffers such as when human body release increase amount in stomach acid can also lead to ulcers, as patient-reported after finishing the eating are: “I developed a stomach ulcer from the long stretches with the only acid in my belly,”

3.   How to regain your appetite if you lose it

The therapist revealed that patients have the realization that they should be eating and have taken precautions to ensure their health concerns.

They know that health is still a priority. One of the patients reported that although I give importance to my health in the circumstance of stressful events…

“I make sure to go for a long walk twice a day with my dog to make sure my muscles aren’t atrophying from the weight loss, I do exercise to stay focused, and I play the occasional pick-up soccer game,”

These steps helped me to regain my routine which I lose due to the stressful events happens in someone life.

To go back to the routine is necessary. There are different steps through which this individual explores the symptoms.

1. Identify your stressors

The different stressors which might become the cause of loss of appetite need to identify. It is important to explore the root cause of the stressor.

The thoughts behind the stressors need to be identified so that individuals can work on the root reason and prepare them to deal with the problems in the future as well.

Once a patient has identified these stressors, the therapist can help to figure out the ways to solve the problems and deal with the circumstances.

The main technique is to focus on stress management, the therapist uses with anxious patients. It also helps to decrease the physical symptoms and associated features related to stress or anxiety.

The different therapists also recommended that being aware of the physical sensations that can accompany stress, such as nausea helped to explore the problem easily such as when you feel nausea, in which circumstances these feelings or symptoms you feel.

One of the therapists reported that “When an individual is able to determine that nausea is likely related to these feelings, it should be a cue that even though it may feel uncomfortable, it is still essential to eat for health.

2.     Make sure you’re getting enough sleep

The enough is very effective to tackle the issue. When an individual is very anxious, it is very important he or she can get enough sleep. Add a cup of this Best Night Time teas to your sleep hygiene routine for anxiety-free nights.

It will manage appetite issues as well as provide relief from the stressors. Otherwise, the cycle of not eating will continue and it might be difficult to manage.

To improve your quality of sleep, add this pillow spray and the best anxiety sheets you can find to your bed. In addition, you can decorate it with stuffed animals and put some earplugs for the noises. We recommend the following Best Earplugs For Anxiety, where the Stiizy Pods and Pax Era Pod for anxiety stand out, where you can put Binaural Beats.

3.      Consider eating on a schedule

As per the recommendation of different therapies, it is suggested that an individual’s hunger and fullness cues only regulate when someone’s eating consistently.

“Someone who has been eating less as a response to a decrease in appetite may need to eat ‘mechanically,’ in order for hunger cues to return,” she says.

This can mean setting a timer for meal and snack times.

If you’re looking for snack options that can help manage anxiety, here are the Best Snacks for Anxiety.

4.     Find foods you can tolerate, and stick to them

When an individual feels anxiety more than normal, it is not often considered that the hunger feeling just vanished but still the insight of eating exists.

The individual should prefer I’ll eat mild foods like brown rice with chicken broth, or white rice with a small piece of salmon because I know my belly needs something in it.

Example of anxiety and loss of appetite

The individual needs to find something that stomachs during your most stressful time and maybe a food bland in flavor or one dense in nutrients, so an individual doesn’t have to eat as much of it.

FAQ about Anxiety and loss of appetite 

References

Healthline.com: “mental health-anxiety lose-appetite”