# Zero appetite when I'm very nervous



## Jamipat (Dec 2, 2011)

Usually, when I'm nervous or when my anticipation anxiety is high, my desire to eat drops to zero. I usually have no desire to eat anything. The only food I can eat when I'm very nervous are sweets.

An example is today Before I had my exam, the plan was to go to the shops near my university to get some snacks to eat so that I won't be doing my exam with an empty stomach, but as I was getting close to university, I became extremely nervous due to me meeting my classmates. I was so nervous that I totally lost my appetite. The plan was to buy some sanwiches and a crisp, but I ended up buying sweets.

Do any of you lose your appetite when you get very nervous?


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## Ventura (May 5, 2009)

Yeah, I'm the same way. When I get nervous/ tense, I'm in a "zone". I can't eat at all no mater how hungry I am.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

It's a bad diet plan. I had nerves so bad, I had to drink Ensure. It's nice to have that stuff in an emergency, but I felt like an infant :lol


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## Ashley1990 (Aug 27, 2011)

Same here..i skip food when i am depressed or nervous....


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## MikeHeath (May 16, 2012)

When i get nervous there is something in my stomach all the time. And i am unable to eat anything at that time. I never tried sweets but i guess they can do the trick. So why not just stick to sweets than.


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## Maninthebox84 (May 3, 2012)

Me too.


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## BKrakow (Jul 8, 2010)

I've always been this way. I recently started making protein shakes on days when my appetite is low and I haven't eaten enough.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

When you get nervous/anxious, your body ratchets up the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), and shuts down your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Your body is basically preparing for danger, so it pulls blood and resources away from things like digestion and growth and gives it over to your muscles and brain to ready you for whatever is coming (we wouldn't be getting nervous about exams a couple hundred years ago even, but would be nervous about fighting, hearing something creeping up on you in the dark, etc.). Your appetite going away is one thing you'll notice, among other things like having a dry mouth, and though you might not notice it, your sex drive also should disappear in these situations.


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## Jamipat (Dec 2, 2011)

MikeHeath said:


> When i get nervous there is something in my stomach all the time. And i am unable to eat anything at that time. I never tried sweets but i guess they can do the trick. So why not just stick to sweets than.


Because sweets don't fill me up.


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## Jamipat (Dec 2, 2011)

lonelyjew said:


> When you get nervous/anxious, your body ratchets up the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), and shuts down your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Your body is basically preparing for danger, so it pulls blood and resources away from things like digestion and growth and gives it over to your muscles and brain to ready you for whatever is coming (we wouldn't be getting nervous about exams a couple hundred years ago even, but would be nervous about fighting, hearing something creeping up on you in the dark, etc.). Your appetite going away is one thing you'll notice, among other things like having a dry mouth, and though you might not notice it, your sex drive also should disappear in these situations.


Thanks for that info. I guess my appetite for sweets must be too strong for my nervousness to affect it completely, as my desire to eat sweets while being very nervous does drop, but it doesn't go away completely.


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## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

lonelyjew said:


> When you get nervous/anxious, your body ratchets up the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), and shuts down your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Your body is basically preparing for danger, so it pulls blood and resources away from things like digestion and growth and gives it over to your muscles and brain to ready you for whatever is coming (we wouldn't be getting nervous about exams a couple hundred years ago even, but would be nervous about fighting, hearing something creeping up on you in the dark, etc.). Your appetite going away is one thing you'll notice, among other things like having a dry mouth, and though you might not notice it, your sex drive also should disappear in these situations.


This.


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## kilgoretrout (Jul 20, 2011)

I'm the same way - I won't eat anything like 2-3 hours before attending my evening classes. By the time that's over, I haven't eaten in almost 6 hours. If I have to go somewhere in the morning/afternoon, I typically won't eat anything or eat very little... sometimes I get so nervous about leaving the house I don't even feel hungry. I'll gag if I force myself to eat. When I come back home and feel more relaxed, I overeat.


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

Very normal. Anxiety affects the digestive tract in a big way.


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## Cool Ice Dude55 (Jan 7, 2014)

I've had anxiety all my life...but it was only until a few months ago where I experienced this symptom "loss of appetite".

I was going through an extremely anxiety inducing period of my life. I'd feel hungry but when I went to eat after one bite my appetite was gone. If I tried to eat it would make me feel sick and anxious.

I thought there was just something wrong with my body. I didn't know it was anxiety!! So crazy to think I am still learning about anxirty. @lonelyjew explainaition is perfect.


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## kivi (Dec 5, 2014)

This is an old thread but yes, I have the same thing. Even if I eat something in my nervous times, I feel nauseous. I don't really search for sweets, I prefer mild flavored salty snacks.


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## ShatteredGlass (Oct 12, 2012)

This thread is positively ancient, but it's important to know that it's completely normal to lose your appetite during times of anxiety/stress. That's part of how the sympathetic nervous system, one of the divisions of the autonomic nervous system, works. It slows down or stops activity in areas like the digestive system to redirect energy to parts of the body that are more important for dealing with an immediate threat.


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