為什麼我明明不餓，卻總想吃東西？
本文轉自：中國日報
點選聽音訊
Have you ever wondered why some days all you want to do is snack？
不知道你有沒有想過這個問題：為什麼有時候你會不停地想吃東西？
Under normal circumstances， we feel hungry when we have burnt up the food we have eaten as energy and our blood sugar and insulin levels begin to drop。 Ghrelin， a hormone connected to appetite， then communicates this to the brain， which is how we feel the need to eat。
在正常情況下，當身體把食物轉為能量之後，我們的血糖和胰島素水平也開始降低，這時我們就會感到飢餓。然後，飢餓激素將資訊傳達給大腦。這個過程展示了我們如何感受到自己要吃東西。
But all sorts of things can interfere with this process。
但是各種各樣的事情都會干擾這個過程。
1. When you are tired
According to a 2011 study by researchers at Columbia University in the US， those who are sleep-deprived eat almost 300 calories a day more than those who get enough sleep。
根據美國哥倫比亞大學2011年研究人員的一項研究，睡眠不足的人每天攝入的熱量幾乎比睡眠充足的人多300卡路里。
This is because levels of the hormone ghrelin， which tells the brain we need to eat， increase when we don‘t get enough sleep。
這是因為當我們沒有足夠的睡眠時，飢餓激素會增加，會告訴我們大腦需要吃更多的東西。
The Columbia researchers noted that the women who didn’t get enough sleep took in more fat rising by around 30g on sleep-deprived days — four times as much as the average increase for men。
哥倫比亞大學的研究人員指出，睡眠不足的女性在睡眠不足的日子裡攝入的脂肪增加了約30克。這是男性平均增加量的四倍。
2. Troubled times
In a 2013 study， people who were primed to expect “tough times ahead” ate more food than people who listened to neutral messages。
在2013年的一項研究中，那些得知不久會遇到“艱難時期”的人會比獲得中性資訊的人吃更多的食物。
It‘s thought that hearing about troubled times causes a survival instinct to kick in， leading to cravings for high-calorie snacks such as chocolate。
“挫折時期”的判斷會激發人的生存本能，渴望對巧克力等高熱量零食。
3. 'Naughty' food cravings
Tempted by that extra biscuit？ Then just enjoy it — as researchers have found that when you feel guilty about a pleasurable experience， the guilt itself becomes pleasurable， so encouraging you to do it more。
要不要再吃一個小餅乾？吃就吃了，開心一點。正如研究人員發現，當你對某個愉快的體驗感到內疚時，內疚本身變得愉快，進而鼓勵你再次去完成。
“If we consider something a naughty pleasure， it can psychologically drive the appetite and the guilt may make you want to eat more，” says Cary Cooper， at the University of Lancaster。
蘭卡斯特大學的Cary Cooper說，如果我們認為某種東西是一種頑皮的快感，它會在心理上促進食慾，而這種內疚可能會讓你想要多吃點。
The appetite center of the brain also lies very close to the area governing mood — the limbic system — which is why changes in the way we feel may affect appetite。
大腦中的食慾控制區域非常接近情緒控制區域——邊緣系統——這就是為什麼我們的情緒變化會影響食慾。
4. Mobiles' blue light
The bright blue light emitted by devices such as smartphones and tablets may give an unwelcome boost to your appetite。
智慧手機和平板電腦等裝置發出的藍光可能會對飲食產生不利影響。
Research this year found that your appetite continued to increase when you are exposed to the light。
今年的研究發現，藍光下你的食慾會繼續增加。
It also altered people’s metabolism， as blood tests showed that the blue-light subjects had higher insulin and glucose levels。
藍光的照射改變了人們的新陳代謝。血液測試顯示，藍光受試者的胰島素和葡萄糖水平較高。
One possible explanation is that bright blue light at night confuses our body clock， which has a role in controlling when we feel the need to eat。
一種可能的解釋是，夜間明亮的藍光會干擾我們的生物鐘。而生物鐘可以控制我們什麼時候覺得需要吃東西。
如果節假日在家的你也想控制體重的話，不妨先了解一下以上這些導致過量飲食的原因，然後“對症下藥”哦！新的一年祝大家都有健康的身體！
編輯：商楨
