Ghrelin, Meal Scheduling and Hunger

The hormone grehlin rises in anticipation of meals, making us hungry, and then falls after we’ve eaten.

However, grehlin actually gets entrained to your typical meal schedule and it will cause hunger in anticipation of a time when you would normally eat.

If you’re used to eating more frequently than you currently do (or you’re trying to change the times when you eat) you may find that you’re hungry at times when you normally might have eaten before (i.e., late at night on the couch watching TV).

After some time this will adjust, but if you’re planning to alter your meal times, make sure you know this is coming or you’ll have unexpected hunger pangs when you otherwise wouldn’t expect them.