Underlying behavioral and psychological motives as causes for cravings is a prevailing belief in medicine and weight management alike. Although over eating does have a psychological component, it is only part of the puzzle. In a review by Bariatic Times, a medical journal for bariatric physicians, 15 different hormones were listed as having influence on appetite. Each individual's daily and even hourly hormonal make up changes significantly throughout the day. This effects our perception of what and how much we need.
Brain chemical imbalances, such as serotonin, are also associated with sweet cravings. Best put by the American Heart Association, “serotonin helps you feel less pain, less anxiety and less stress, so it improves mood by increasing relaxation. Some experts think that people who crave carbohydrates have low serotonin levels”.
So next time nighttime sweets overtake you, realize you may be instinctually treating an imbalance in hormones and brain chemicals, rather than sporting a weak constitution.
At The Center for Optimal Health our physicians treat hormonal imbalances using bioidentical hormone therapies. Learn more at www.cfohealth.com.
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