We all eat too often from time to time. If you overeat and feel powerless to stop, you might suffer from a binge-eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is when you eat large quantities of food and feel powerless to stop. Compulsive eating can cause you to eat until it causes discomfort. You might feel guilt, shame, or depression afterward.
Binge eating disorder is most common in the late teens or early twenties. It often occurs after a significant diet. You may binge eat until you feel full and continue eating even after you’re satisfied. Sometimes you may binge eat so fast that you don’t even notice what you are eating. However, unlike Bulimia, there is no “make-up” method to eliminate the binges. This includes fasting, vomiting, and over-exercising.
Binge eating may be a temporary comfort, helping to relieve stress, depression, anxiety, and other unpleasant emotions. Then reality hits, and you feel overwhelmed with regret and self-loathing. Compulsive eating can be reinforced by binging. Obesity and weight gain are typical results of binging. You will eat more food to cope with your negative feelings about yourself and your appearance. It’s a vicious circle: you eat to feel better, then you feel worse, and then you turn to food for relief. It doesn’t matter how powerless you think about binge eating disorder. Learning how to stop binge eating, manage your emotions, and have a better relationship with food is possible. You can also regain control of your eating habits and improve overall health.
Causes and consequences
It takes a combination of to develop a binge-eating disorder. This includes your genes, emotions, and experiences.
Cultural and social risk factors. Emotional eating and the pressure to lose weight can increase your feelings. Unwittingly, parents can set the scene for binging by using food to comfort, disapprove, or reward their children. Children who receive frequent negative comments about their bodies or weight are vulnerable.
Psychological risk factors. Binge eating and depression are closely linked. Binge-eaters are often depressed or have been previously. Others may struggle with impulse control and managing their emotions. Binge eating can also be caused by low self-esteem, loneliness, and body dissatisfaction.
Risk factors that biological abnormalities can cause. Binge eating can be caused by physical abnormalities. One example is that your hypothalamus, which controls your appetite, may not communicate the correct signals about hunger and fullness. Researchers also discovered a genetic mutation that could lead to food addiction.
