Polyphagia is overeating, often caused by anxiety, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or eating disorders. It can lead to vomiting, stomach pains, and weight gain, and is a symptom rather than a disease. Identifying the cause is crucial to treating it.
Polyphagia is the condition of overeating. The appropriate amount to eat is somewhat individual, depending on a person’s size, metabolism, and culture, and so polyphagia is generally characterized by an increase in the amount of food a person eats or by the hunger they experience. This condition is a symptom, not a disease in itself, and can be caused by a number of factors including anxiety, hyperthyroidism and diabetes. It can also be considered a component of bulimia. Isolating the cause of a person’s polyphagia is the first step to getting rid of it and all the complications that overeating can cause.
A person with this symptom does not eat for biologically valid reasons and will often eat so much that it causes vomiting or stomach pains. If a person habitually eats so much that they feel pain, even if the eater considers this activity normal, he has polyphagia. Eating can also have characteristics of a compulsion, just like repeatedly cleaning or stacking objects, where the act itself is also not pleasant but cannot be stopped by the person. The subjective experiences of polyphagia differ greatly for each person depending on the motivation for overeating.
The term polyphagia is not often used to describe individual instances of overeating, as might occur at Thanksgiving in the United States or other food-focused events. Rather a pattern of overeating over time is considered a symptom of this. Some conditions are associated with polyphagia, including Kleine Levin, Bardet Biedl, and Prader-Willi syndromes. Much more commonly, this symptom is associated with diabetes, as increased thirst and hunger accompanied by frequent urination are classic signs of diabetes. Pregnancy is also associated with polyphagia, but this form is generally accepted and culturally expected, while it may not be truly healthy for either the mother or the baby.
Eating disorders can also involve bouts of polyphagia. Bulimia, in particular, is often characterized by overeating, sometimes called a binge. In these cases, the binges are often followed by compensatory behaviors of some kind, such as induced vomiting or laxative use. Other times, the binge simply results in weight gain and depression.
A person who overeats due to an ailment will often gain weight just like someone who overeats from a gluttony. Drastic weight gain is dangerous to a person’s health and can have negative effects on self-esteem. While it can be uncomfortable to stop eating when your body is still craving for food, it’s important to control your portions to avoid these dangerous effects of overeating.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
