hunger pains???

has anyone ever done any research on what a hunger pain is? that is the thought I woke up with this morning. I know why we have them but what are they? is it the stomach constrasting that causes the "ache" that tells us are stomach is empty and we need to refuel? or is it the blood surgar droping that is suppose to tell us that? We call it Hunger "pains" but why? all of the sudden I realise that I know absolutely nothing about hunger... not that I have never been hungry before I am sure I have when ever I would go on those starvation I am to busy to eat diets in the past but thats not what I am talking about. I have beens thinking about the limits of my new stomach, maybe thats got me thing about this... just pondering

Last night I thought I had a hunger pain, but then I thought it might have been gas, then this morning when I woke up I knew  what I was feeling was hunger... and that got my mind to working... what is it about? I know it was created by what ever creator you choose to believe in or by evelution what ever, but the purpose is to tell us it is time to refuel our bodies... I get that... how does it work? why does it get screwy? how many of us have acttually felt real hunger or has our diet of super sized this and that messed things up? Not to mention, what about the fact that most do not eat to refuel the body, but to comfort the soul  and spirit, or to celebrate due to culture or the hundreds of other reasons we eat that hve nothing to do with hunger.. habit, its that time of day, what ever...
As far as my hunger was concerned... I am good.. I had about an ounce of broth and it went away,(surgery this past monday) but I really thinking on this would love to hear from anyone else who had pondered this or maybe reseached it... I think I will be visiting google today LOL... Anyone have any thoughts.. Please share?

That's actually an excellent question and I have no clue.  If you research it, let us know what you find out.  I imagine understanding it would help us avoid eating when we aren't really hungry and make it easier to avoid "head hunger."

Kelly

Interesting thoughts, I hope to read your research.

I have always thought that the term is "hunger pang' and not 'hunger pain'.
I could be dead wrong -- but I try to tell myself that it is NOT pain --- it is a pang, and that is just an urge or suggestion that I take in food.

Much of the time, when I feel empty, I check the clock and realize that it is, in fact, time to eat, or past time to eat.

I am able to detach feeling from it, and think about it logically ---- and talk myself out of reaching for the first available calories.

I'm with you Kath. Except that I'm a bit different because when I have a pang I don't look at the clock I look at what's happening to me and how I feel at the moment. Then I think about when I last ate and what I took in before I make a decision to eat. It happens pretty quickly for me now. It's amazing how I never really conceived that eating was mental. I thought it was just a reflex like breathing. I felt like NIKE Just do it!