Are you noticing that your appetite seems a little out of control these days? It could be a sign that your blood sugar is out of control. Read on to learn more.

What is Polyphagia?

Does it feel like you continue to feel hungry no matter how much or how often you eat? Not just a little hungry, but really hungry! Like your appetite has become insatiable?

If so, you might be suffering from a condition known as polyphagia – a scientific term for extreme or excessive hunger. The thing about polyphagia is that it is not a disorder in itself. While it’s not healthy to overeat, the fact that a person doesn’t feel satiated after consuming a substantial amount of food is almost always a symptom of another medical condition. One of the most common is diabetes.

All forms of diabetes can trigger persistent sensations of hunger, including Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and even gestational diabetes, which occurs when a woman develops high blood sugar during pregnancy.

How Does Diabetes Cause Excessive Hunger?

All forms of diabetes impact how the body regulates blood sugar by impeding the production of insulin, impairing the body’s ability to use insulin effectively, or both.

Insulin is a vital hormone created by beta cells that reside within the pancreas. This hormone allows your body to transform the glucose (blood sugar) that it gets from the foods you eat into the energy your body and organs need to function properly.

People with diabetes cannot efficiently turn blood sugar into energy; therefore, it gradually builds up in the bloodstream. When it reaches high enough levels, a diabetes diagnosis is made.

So, what does this have to do with feeling hungry?

It’s pretty logical. Because the body doesn’t have enough insulin to properly turn blood sugar into energy, it senses a considerable lack of available fuel to power your muscles and organs. Since our energy comes from the foods we eat, the brain signals the body needs more and triggers an increase in hunger.

Could You Have Diabetes Without Knowing?

Just because you haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes does not mean you do not have diabetes. Suppose you are feeling overly hungry, especially if you’re also experiencing other diabetes-related symptoms, such as fatigue, excessive thirst, and more frequent urination. In that case, you must see your doctor and get screened for diabetes ASAP.

Recognizing the "3 Ps" of Diabetes

Pervasive hunger is such a common symptom of diabetes it’s listed as one of the “3 Ps” to watch out for:

• Polyphagia (excessive hunger)
• Polyuria (excessive urination)
• Polydipsia (excessive thirst)

Managing Diabetes and Polyphagia

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes and are experiencing signs of polyphagia, it could mean that your blood sugar is not being adequately managed and that your treatment program might need some adjusting. Your oversized appetite could be either hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Hyperglycemia and Hunger

This is directly related to insulin resistance. As mentioned earlier in this post, when a person has diabetes, their body cannot produce or use insulin properly to process blood sugar. This causes blood sugar levels to elevate. But because the body cannot gain energy, it senses a lack of energy and feels starved for more fuel. You start feeling hungry because your body thinks it needs more sugar, and the only way it knows how to get it is to prompt you to eat more.

There’s another danger with polyphagia as it relates to high blood sugar. It is often a symptom of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening complication that occurs when the body begins using fat as fuel because it cannot use sugar. Symptoms of DKA include fruity-scented breath, confusion, shortness of breath, and nausea or vomiting. If you or someone you know has diabetes and begins experiencing any of these symptoms, seek medical attention right away.

Hypoglycemia and Hunger

Low blood sugar can also lead to feelings of excessive hunger. How? It’s usually for one of two reasons. Either a person skips a meal and, therefore, their glucose drops along with their energy levels, causing feelings of hunger. Or they administer too much-prescribed insulin or another diabetes medication, which causes blood sugar to drop and leads to those hunger pangs.

Regaining Control

If you have diabetes and feel excessively hungry, then it is probably a sign that your blood sugar is out of control, and the most important thing you can do is regain control. Maybe you need to test your blood sugar more frequently. Perhaps you need to adjust your medication schedule. Continuous glucose monitoring would help improve your diabetes management and blood sugar control. The first step is to work with your diabetes physician and care team to uncover the problem and explore potential solutions.

High and low blood sugar, mainly if they are for prolonged periods, can be dangerous and increase your risk of diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and ketoacidosis. So don’t put off finding a solution. See your diabetes physician and fix the problem together.

Do you have any additional insights on diabetes and frequent urination or excessive thirst? Please share them with our readers in the comment section below. Thanks, and stay diabetes healthy!

At Diabetic Warehouse, we’re committed to helping those with diabetes manage blood sugar with a complete selection of testing and treatment supplies at up to 65% less than those found at most pharmacies and suppliers.