“Food isn't as appealing when you're anxious, worried, or feel hopeless,” she says. But not eating enough can make you more irritable and sensitive, which can worsen your depression.
Anxiety and depression.
“Studies have shown that not eating enough can cause prolonged periods of anxiety and depression in teens and adults,” says Beal.
Conversely, an inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, impaired decision-making, and can slow down reaction time. In fact, a poor diet can actually aggravate, and may even lead to, stress and depression. One of the biggest health impairments is society's reliance on processed foods.
But for most people used to regular meals, skipping meals causes a drop in the body's blood sugar levels. If prolonged, this drop may lead to increased feelings of anxiety and irritability.
It is well known that unhealthy eating patterns can cause mood swings. Blood sugar fluctuations and nutritional imbalances are often to blame. Without a steady source of fuel from the foods we eat, our mind and bodies don't function well.
Restricted eating, malnourishment, and excessive weight loss can lead to changes in our brain chemistry, resulting in increased symptoms of depression and anxiety (Centre for Clinical Interventions, 2018b). These changes in brain chemistry and poor mental health outcomes skew reality.
Mental health conditions, like anxiety, depression, and stress, can all have a negative effect on hunger levels. Other physical conditions, such as pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and more, can also cause a decrease in appetite.
As you age, your digestion slows, so you tend to feel fuller for longer. Your sense of smell, taste, or vision may also get weaker. This can make food less appealing. Hormonal changes, a chronic illness, and medications can also curb your hunger.
Emotional Changes
People experiencing starvation syndrome often feel 'flat' or report feeling 'numb'. Brain function can also be impaired, which may result in decreased concentration, impaired comprehension, diminished judgement and ability to make decisions, obsessive thoughts, and decreased alertness.
As a result of discontinuing eating, patients can die in as early as a few days. For most people, this period without food usually lasts about 10 days, but in rare instances, it can last several weeks.
Estimates indicate that starving people become weak in 30 to 50 days and die in 43 to 70 days. Individual factors including sex, age, starting weight, and water intake all play a role in how long someone can go without food. The body works to fight starvation by producing glucose and breaking down fatty tissue.
Myth or Fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry. Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size -- unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller.
Anorexia is a general loss of appetite or a loss of interest in food. When some people hear the word “anorexia,” they think of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.
Fatigue and loss of appetite are symptoms of several health conditions. The condition can be as common as the flu or a sign of something more serious like cancer. Often a loss of appetite can cause fatigue, especially if you aren't getting enough calories or nutrients.
Research shows that being underweight is MORE harmful to your body than being overweight. If you're not eating enough energy, you're literally starving yourself. If you're severely under eating, your body functions will eventually start to shut down and it will likely lead to serious health complications.
If you drastically slash calories and are eating a very low-calorie diet (Think: less than 1,000 calories for women and less than 1,200 calories for men), “starvation mode” can actually be starvation. Starvation from chronic undereating can be counterproductive to weight loss and dangerous to your health.
Inadequate food intake makes it nearly impossible to increase muscle strength or size, and the energy deficit can seriously weaken your power in training sessions in general. When you're under-fueled, it may feel like you're training intensely, but your power output is actually much lower.
While fasting for 3 days is relatively safe for most people, it can be quite dangerous for some people. These exceptions include (9): Patients with diabetes, as it can lead to dangerous dips and spikes in blood sugar.
The best way to avoid these side effects is to stick to shorter fasting periods of up to 24 hours — especially when you're just starting out. If you want to increase your fasting period to more than 72 hours, you should seek medical supervision.