Good appetite is the absolute norm for a healthy body. This is a unique mechanism that forces one to eat even before the supply of nutrients is depleted. But sometimes at the usual time you don’t want to eat, there is indifference to food or complete disgust. Sick, poor appetite, general deterioration of well-being - these are symptoms that can indicate serious disruption of the body. In most cases, the reasons are commonplace, but it is worth listening to yourself in order to identify possible violations in time.
Mild and complicated appetite
Doctors distinguish between a mild form of appetite disturbance (a temporary decrease, usually caused by physiological causes or mild ailments) and complicated when a person is averse to food. Hyporexia (mild abnormality) is treatable at home and does not always require medical attention. It is usually sufficient to normalize the diet. Anorexia (a serious illness) necessarily requires the supervision of a doctor.
Loss of appetite, especially sharp and accompanied by additional symptoms, may indicate serious disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and body systems. Additionally, nausea or fever may begin, general weakness, malaise, dizziness, or headache are felt. If the appetite disappeared without additional symptoms, and overall health is good, then we are talking about temporary malfunctions in the body.
Diseases and pathological conditions
Why is there no appetite and nausea? This condition can be caused by an exacerbation of various chronic diseases, diseases of the digestive or central nervous system, heart and blood vessels. If you feel sick and have no appetite, you can talk about intoxication of the body, including food poisoning. Mental disorders, endocrine disorders, or even injuries can provoke this condition. Why is sick of food and no appetite? All reasons can conditionally be divided into several groups:
neuropathic, due to the characteristics of the nervous system, for example, its increased excitability or exhaustion;
psychopathic, arising in the framework of personality and behavioral disorders due to impaired brain function;
neurotic, resulting from reversible mental disorders;
endogenous, due to metabolic disorders in the brain;
somatogenic, arising due to diseases of any organs or systems;
mixed, that is, a combination of several factors.
Food poisoning or intoxication
Lack of appetite, accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, in most cases indicates food poisoning. Strong intoxication is a serious threat to health, so you should definitely call a doctor at home. You can get poisoned not only with food, but also with drugs, alcohol, chemicals and toxins. Symptoms usually appear after 2-4 hours. In this case, the body spends all its forces on the removal of poison.
When symptoms of food poisoning appear (no appetite, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting), you need to think about what could cause an unsatisfactory state of the body. Mild poisoning can be treated at home. You need to drink plenty of water, give up food for a while, and cause vomiting (for this a weak solution of potassium permanganate, salt or baking soda is used, irritation of the root of the tongue). Of the drugs, absorbents (activated carbon) and enveloping agents help. Treatment of severe poisoning is carried out only under the supervision of a physician.
If there is no appetite and is sick with ARVI, colds and other infectious diseases, this suggests that the body spends all its efforts to cope with the disease. Lack of desire to eat in such situations is completely normal. Everything is normalizing along with an improvement in overall health. Prior to this, it is advisable to eat in small portions and follow a treated diet, that is, exclude all fried and fatty, spicy and salty foods. It is worth giving preference to light dishes, steamed, boiled or stewed.
Digestive system diseases
Various diseases of the digestive system can cause a complete lack of appetite. The accompanying symptoms are usually nausea before or after eating, heartburn, vomiting, a feeling of fullness of the stomach, heaviness, increased gas, stomach pain, and so on - the clinical picture depends on the disease. You need to visit a gastroenterologist and undergo a comprehensive examination to find out the causes of health problems. With gastritis, peptic ulcer and other pathologies, sitophobia can occur - a complete rejection of food due to fear of pain after eating. This depletes the body and exacerbates the course of the disease.
Various endocrine disorders
In case of violations in the endocrine system, lack of appetite and nausea can also be among the symptoms. The remaining symptoms can be attributed to mental or physical overload, stress and anxiety, excessive fatigue and chronic fatigue. In order not to miss the onset of diseases associated with the thyroid gland, you should take blood tests for hormones from time to time.
Oncological diseases and lack of appetite
Lack of appetite or rapid weight loss during normal nutrition are common symptoms of oncology. Under the influence of cancer cell toxins, protein synthesis in the body is disrupted, proteins are actively broken down, so fat begins to be consumed quickly. Anorexia usually does not occur immediately. Basically, cancer patients are disgusted by a certain type of product. For example, patients with gastric cancer often do not tolerate meat to such an extent that they experience vomiting when they see this product. Another common symptom is dyspeptic disorders (nausea, impaired swallowing function, diarrhea, heartburn, belching, increased gas formation).
Non-Disease Factors
Why is there no appetite and nausea? The causes of this condition may not be related to diseases and not pose a threat to human health. The desire to eat disappears with an improper diet, chronic fatigue, an unhealthy passion for diets, excessive mental or physical stress, overwork and stress, prolonged starvation, taking certain medications, for psychological reasons. Appetite decreases under the influence of external factors, for example, weather conditions or when changing the place of stay.
Chronic fatigue and stress
If you feel sick, weakness, no appetite, we can talk about chronic fatigue. The process of digesting food requires a significant expenditure of energy, and when exhausted, the body prefers to conserve strength. A common cause is psychological problems. Any excitement and experience, both positive and negative, are perceived by the body as stress. Important events in life can significantly reduce appetite. But after positive experiences, failures usually go away quickly, but negative ones develop into a long depressed state or depression.
Diet abuse and malnutrition
Abuse of strict diets causes great harm to health. With an artificially created lack of nutrients, the body is depleted, a restriction in food for weight loss makes nutrition irrational. As a result, appetite disappears, nausea and aversion to food, intestinal irritation, weakness and dizziness occur. Passion for strict weight loss programs and extreme fasting can lead to serious health problems, so choosing a diet is better after consulting a specialist.
If you feel sick in the morning and have no appetite, this may be due to constant overeating in the evening hours, abuse of fatty and fried foods, spices and spices, and flour products. Any violations of the diet and an irrational diet seriously overload the stomach and pancreas. What to do if there is no appetite and is sick? You need to switch to a light diet, choose healthy and high-quality foods, eat in small portions.
Long-term use of drugs
The work of the gastrointestinal tract is disturbed with prolonged use of certain medications. A large number of chemical compounds are difficult to digest, creates an additional burden on the body weakened by the disease and provokes malaise. Some time after taking the tablets, nausea may be felt, and appetite lost. Common side effects are weakness and drowsiness. To avoid such problems, you need to drink medicine in courses and give the body time to recover. You may need to replace drugs that negatively affect the digestive system with safer counterparts. Of course, any changes are allowed only after consulting a doctor.
Unhealthy lifestyle and bad habits
Often, loss of appetite, accompanied by nausea, is the result of bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle. The abuse of alcoholic beverages, smoking, the use of narcotic drugs destroys internal organs and disrupts the processes occurring in the body, including digestion. Nausea and vomiting are characteristic of intoxication caused by the use of alcoholic beverages and drugs. Loss of appetite is the predicted result of a prolonged unhealthy lifestyle.
Common causes of loss of appetite in men
Men, as a rule, pay less attention to health and allow themselves various excesses, for example, do not follow a diet, prefer high-calorie foods, often allow snacks on the go, overeat, which negatively affects the digestive system. With a violation of the motor functions of the stomach, constant symptoms become a feeling of overcrowding and heaviness, nausea after eating, increased gas formation, vomiting, headache.
Gastrointestinal response can be caused by smoking and alcohol abuse. Nicotine, for example, increases acidity in the stomach, causes irritation of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract and reflex muscle contractions. As a result, sick from eating and no appetite. Alcohol negatively affects not only the digestive system, but the whole organism. The nervous system perceives alcohol as a poison that violates the motility of the stomach and irritates the mucous membranes, so for the speedy removal of toxins, the body provokes vomiting.
Lack of appetite and nausea in women. Should I panic?
If you feel sick from eating and have no appetite, the causes of this condition can be hormonal. For women, such symptoms during menstruation or pregnancy are considered normal and are not symptoms of the disease. But constant weakness and nausea, frequent dizziness, vomiting that does not bring relief, intense pain and a complete lack of appetite - this is an occasion to consult a doctor.
A few days before the next menstruation, a change in the level of estrogen and progesterone is accompanied by strong emotional outbursts, a change in appetite, insomnia and nervousness - manifestations of premenstrual syndrome. These processes are completely natural for the female body. When the next cycle begins, the situation usually stabilizes, but some women may feel unwell and lose their appetite.
During menstruation, the body produces prostaglandins, which are irritating to the nervous, muscle and circulatory systems. This provokes muscle spasm and pain. Increased production of serotonin leads to stagnation of fluid in the body and the appearance of edema. All these changes negatively affect the overall well-being of a woman, but they are the norm and pass quickly, without requiring any external intervention.
Pregnant women may experience toxicosis due to hormonal changes (fluctuations in progesterone levels). If you feel sick and have no appetite, then this is the norm for the first months of gestation. Usually, all negative symptoms disappear by the twelfth or fourteenth week of gestation, that is, by the beginning of the second trimester. Mild early toxicosis usually does not pose a threat to the health of a woman or child. During this period, a balanced diet, good rest and outdoor walks can help. You need to eat food fractionally. This will relieve nausea and vomiting. If you constantly feel sick from eating and have no appetite, vomiting often occurs, you should consult a doctor. It is dangerous to self-medicate!
Nausea and lack of appetite in children. When do parents need to sound the alarm?
Why does the child have no appetite and feel sick? The reasons can be various: nervous tension, overeating, too active games, a trip in transport to a full stomach and so on. Often children refuse to eat with colds and other illnesses. In this case, it is worth offering light and beloved food in a small amount so as not to burden the body, which is busy fighting the infection. Usually, as you recover, a feeling of hunger begins to appear.
If a young child has lost his appetite and is sick, his head hurts or is dizzy, his pulse quickens or slows, his temperature rises, then you need to consult a pediatrician. It is important! The reason for urgent medical attention is nausea after a head or abdominal injury, frequent and severe vomiting with an admixture of blood (may be accompanied by diarrhea), drowsiness and lethargy, apathy, and a complete refusal to eat.
In the event that violations of the digestive tract do not cause significant discomfort and pass relatively quickly, and after vomiting, they feel better, there is usually no reason to panic. To alleviate the condition, you can give your child a suitable antiemetic drug, dill water, green tea or lemon water. The main recommendation is a therapeutic diet for several days, nutrition control in the future.
What to do if there is no desire
No appetite and sick of eating? What to do? If there are no serious health problems, and the malaise is temporary and caused by physiological reasons, then elementary methods will help restore the body's natural need for food. Take a walk in the fresh air, engage in moderate physical activity; observe the regime of the day, fully relax; give up bad habits; make the diet more diverse, cook something new and mouth-watering.
Appetizing stimulants include pomegranates, raspberries, cranberries, citrus fruits, sour apples, onions, garlic, sauerkraut, blackberries, radishes. In the absence of appetite, it is advisable to supplement the diet with fresh fruit juices, herbal decoctions (drink instead of tea or coffee) and vitamins. Vitamin-mineral complexes can be taken in courses, but it is advisable to consult a doctor to choose the best course. If the appetite has disappeared from the nerves, tincture of lemon balm will help normalize the condition.
Lack of desire to eat during the critical period of bearing a child can occur against the background of an exacerbation of chronic diseases or early toxicosis. Sick, no appetite, dizzy, there is an aversion to certain smells - these are common phenomena in the first trimester of pregnancy. Symptoms may be aggravated by a lack of folic acid or iron in the body. Hypersensitivity passes to the beginning of the second trimester, and before that you need to take vitamins prescribed by a doctor, eat fractional and healthy foods, not give up physical activity, but also have enough rest, including during the day.
If there is no appetite and is sick due to any concomitant diseases (especially pathologies that are not related to the work of the gastrointestinal tract), you should definitely consult a doctor. Perhaps you should change the drug or take a break between courses. The appetite is normalized as it heals. If the disease is chronic, the patient's condition improves during the period of remission, therefore, as a prophylaxis, it is necessary to try to prevent exacerbation.