Hunger and ability to concentrate

In everyday life and at work, the following symptoms may indicate existing hunger:

• Difficulty concentrating.
• Difficulty making decisions.
• Irritable, anxious or bad mood.
• Repeated thoughts about food.
• Conspicuous consumption of chewing gum, nicotine, coffee or tea.
• Sleep disturbances with early waking.
• Dizziness and headaches.
• Slight chills, ringing in the ears or flickering eyes.
• Excessive hunger in the evening.

Important note

Organic diseases with similar complaints must be ruled out by the doctor.
The symptoms are not the result of the effects of medication, alcohol or drugs.
Regular meals can help to alleviate the symptoms.

He had long since gotten out of the habit of eating breakfast in the morning and starting work at 8 o’clock. At 10 a.m. he liked to have some fruit, sometimes even a loaf of bread. He rarely ate at lunchtime, as important meetings cut his lunch break short. Eating something quick, such as salads, had already become a habit. In the afternoon, he usually noticed a drop in performance. His colleagues found that he was often very irritable. His coffee consumption was noticeably high and he almost always had chewing gum in his mouth. Of course, he was always thinking about food, but time was the problem. In the evening, his wife was pleased that he enjoyed the food. But one plate was often not enough, he liked to have two. Late in the evening, he went to the fridge. Only now did he realize that he was dealing with food cravings. His fundamental problem was that he was consuming too little energy throughout the day, i.e. during the time when he needed energy due to mental and physical exertion, resulting in a noticeable loss of mental performance.

He remembered the phrase “eat like an emperor in the morning, like a king at lunchtime and like a beggar in the evening”. But he hadn’t eaten breakfast for years. In response to his argument about not being able to eat in the morning, he asked himself the following question: he wondered how he would eat breakfast on vacation or in a hotel if there was enough time and the table was richly laid. He decided to have breakfast in the morning and eat enough at lunchtime to improve his personal performance throughout the day. Breakfast was a real struggle at first. Later, he took sandwiches with him that he had eaten in the morning. After a while, he noticed improved concentration during the day and a reduced feeling of hunger in the evening. He also felt hungry again at lunchtime. Irritability and the amount of coffee consumed decreased. He achieved another goal of drinking enough by drinking a 0.5 liter bottle on the way to work. Then another 0.5 liter at lunchtime and 0.5 liters on the way home. He also got into the habit of not eating while standing, walking or at work.

Böse, R.; Beisel, S. & Geisser, E. (2005). Konfrontationsverfahren in der stationären Therapie bei Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa. In Neudeck, P. & Wittchen, H-U. (Hrsg.). Konfrontationstherapie bei psychischen Störungen. Göttingen: Hogrefe.

Jacobi, C.; Paul, T. & Thiel, A. (2004). Essstörungen. Göttingen: Hogrefe.

Löhr, G. & Preiser, S. (1974). Regression und Rekreation – Ein Beitrag zum Problem Stress und Erholung. Zeitschrift für experimentelle und angewandte Psychologie. Band XXI, 4, 575-591.

Pudel, V. & Westenhöfer, J. (2003). Ernährungspsychologie. Göttingen: Hogrefe.