Distortion of hunger and fullness sensations

[Pages:8]Northumbria Healthcare

NHS Foundation Trust

Distortion of hunger and fullness sensations

Issued by North Tyneside Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service

Why do hunger and fullness sensations become distorted?

Sensations of hunger and fullness can easily be taken for granted, like hot and cold sensations. However, these sensations can become distorted in certain circumstances, for example, when a person is suffering from a cold or flu, they may lose their appetite. A similar thing happens when a person is following a very restricted intake, or has erratic eating behaviour and fluctuates between overeating and restricting.

How do I know if my hunger sensation has become distorted?

It is common for people with eating disorders to feel confused about this. Below are some common queries and concerns. ? I don't know when I am hungry now ? I only eat when I am hungry; to eat when I don't feel hungry

does not feel right ? Sometimes when I feel hungry, I don't really feel in control of my

eating ? I like the sensation of feeling hungry as it means I have not

overeaten Hunger is a lot to do with when you expect food, not just when you need food. This is why the sensation of hunger changes when you don't have a regular eating pattern. It is common for people with eating disorders to confuse hunger with thirst. You may rarely feel hungry, but feel thirsty a lot of the time. You may be subconsciously drinking fluid to fend off hunger pangs. Sensations of hunger may not feel normal at the moment. Although this can be easy to say, it can be hard to believe, especially when trying to restore a regular eating pattern when you don't feel hungry.

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However, eating regularly is essential to `re-train' your hunger sensations. It is common to have fears of eating more. You may confuse feeling full with putting on weight, especially if your stomach is swollen and bloated after eating. Fullness can make reestablishing a regular eating pattern very difficult. You may already have fears about eating more during the day. These fears may include losing control of your eating and/or gaining weight. This is more difficult if you don't feel hungry and then eating more results in feeling even more full and uncomfortable. This is a challenging, but important stage to get through.

How do I know if my fullness sensation has become distorted?

It is common for people with eating disorders to feel confused about this. Below are some common queries and concerns. ? I don't know when I'm full now ? Sometimes I feel full after eating a small amount of food ? I can eat a huge amount of food before I feel full ? Sometimes I don't really feel in control of my eating and end up

eating more than I planned ? When I try to eat more than usual, my stomach feels

uncomfortable and sore When overcoming an eating disorder, the sensation of fullness may not feel normal. Fullness can cause you to feel uncomfortable and bloated.

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Why do I feel so full?

If you are struggling with feeling bloated and full, consider the following points as they may be making the problem worse. ? Is your diet very bulky? If you eat a lot of foods which are very

high in fibre and low in fat, you are likely to feel fuller. ? How much fruit and vegetables are you eating? It is

recommended that we eat at least five portions per day. Do you eat a lot more than this? If you do, this could cause your diet to be very bulky. ? Do you drink fluid before or during a meal? If you do, this may fill you up too quickly and make you feel bloated. It is best to have fluids after a meal. ? How much fluid do you drink in a day? We need approximately 1.5 litres (6-8 glasses) of fluid per day. Do you drink a lot more than this? If you do, this may cause you to feel bloated. ? Do you drink fizzy drinks? Fizzy drinks can cause bloating so it may be best to switch to alternative drinks. ? If you have been restricting your food intake for a long time, you may feel full and bloated after eating only a small amount.

Symptoms of anxiety

If you feel anxious, you will feel tense. When you feel tense, your muscles will contract. This will cause you to be very aware of when you have eaten more than usual. You may find yourself focusing on where food has gone, for example, you may concentrate on your stomach. You may fear that the feeling of fullness will not pass. Remember that food does not stay in the stomach. If you wait 40 minutes, the feeling of fullness if likely to have passed. It is common to feel very uncomfortable after a larger than usual meal.

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What will help me restore normal feelings of fullness? Re-establishing a regular eating pattern

Whatever eating problem you are experiencing, it will be very important to eat regularly throughout your day. Split your day into chunks and plan to eat little and often, for example, work towards having three meals and three snacks per day. Often a good way to start is to concentrate on forming a framework to your eating pattern. This can be done by initially focusing on starchy carbohydrate foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta. In time all the other nutrients can be built around this framework.

Fluids

We advise to avoid drinking too much fluid at the start of a meal, as this may make you feel falsely full.

Relaxation

Eat in as relaxed an atmosphere as possible. It may also help to try relaxation techniques before you eat. Your therapist will help you identify your causes of fullness and help you develop ways to cope with these.

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Notes and Questions

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Contacts

CAMHS Albion Road Clinic, North Shields

Websites and resources

B-EAT (beating eating disorders) b-eat.co.uk

0191 219 6672

Comments, compliments and complaints

CAMHS welcomes any comments that patients and their families might make in order to improve the service. If you have any questions about what you have read, or the treatment you may be offered, please discuss this with your clinician.

If at any time you are concerned about your treatment by staff, please do not hesitate to contact the CAMHS team manager to discuss any concerns that you may have.

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can also help you with any concerns or complaints. They can be contacted on 0800 0320202.

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PIN 282/V3

Review date: September 2021

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