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- Possible causes include anxiety and depression, hormonal disorders, insomnia, and certain medications. Carrying extra pounds isn't necessarily a problem, but it could signal an underlying health concern you'll want to address. The only way to be entirely sure of what it means is to consult a healthcare provider.
www.health.com/mind-body/sudden-weight-gain-causes
Rapid weight gain may be caused by lifestyle changes like quitting smoking. However, it may also indicate an underlying medical condition, such as kidney disease, insomnia, and cirrhosis.
Jan 16, 2024 · Sudden weight gain can be a normal part of life, but unexplained weight gain can also be a result of conditions including PCOS, depression, and perimenopause.
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- You may start packing on the pounds if your thyroid, a small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, stops making enough hormones. It also could thin your hair, dry your skin, and make you feel colder, tired, constipated, and even depressed.
- Weight gain and even obesity are among the possible physical side effects. People with this mood disorder often have higher levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol, which may cause fat to gather around your belly.
- People who get less than 6 hours of shut-eye a night tend to have more body fat. About 8 hours is the sweet spot for keeping the weight off. Lack of sleep can cause your body to make too much of the hormones cortisol and insulin, which can add pounds.
- Less estrogen during menopause can put more fat around your belly. But less hormones isn’t the only cause. Hot flashes, sleep problems, and moodiness linked to the end of a woman’s fertility may get in the way of healthy eating and exercise.
- Hypothyroidism. When a young woman walks into a doc’s office with unexplained weight gain, the thyroid is the first place most physicians will investigate, says Dr. Jampolis.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome. Research shows that as many as one in five women have polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)—an endocrine disorder that throws off the balance of reproductive hormones estrogen and testosterone, and can trigger a number of unpleasant symptoms like wacky periods, facial hair growth, and migraines.
- Depression or anxiety. When you’re stressed, you’re thrown into fight-or-flight mode and get a surge of adrenaline, along with a heavy dose of the hormone cortisol, which is supposed to help you restore energy reserves and store fat.
- Insomnia. There’s nothing like a busted night of sleep to make a girl crave sugar and fat (anything to survive at work the next day, right?). That’s because missed shuteye does a number on your hunger hormones and metabolism: Sleeping too little raises ghrelin, the hormone that signals it’s time to eat, while lowering your levels of leptin, the hormone that conveys the “I’m full” feeling, says Dr. Jampolis.
- You bruise easily and are experiencing muscle weakness. You gained weight out of nowhere and are also suffering from pained muscles? The culprit could be Cushing's syndrome, a disorder that occurs when your body makes too much of the hormone cortisol over a long period of time.
- Your thyroid glands are swollen. If your thyroid glands feel swollen, your skin feels dry, your heart rate is slow, and you are constantly tired—it might be time to consider hypothyroidism as the cause, according to WebMD.
- Your have an irregular menstrual cycle. If you are a woman experiencing infertility, irregular menstrual cycles, hair growth, or acne, you could be dealing with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), says Goldstone.
- You are coughing frequently and are having trouble lying flat. "Loss of appetite, frequent coughing, or trouble lying flat are signs of heart failure, which can cause rapid weight gain in the abdomen, ankles, and legs due to fluid overload," says Goldstone.
Nov 14, 2024 · For women, sudden weight gain in the stomach area is often a primary concern. Possible signs and symptoms of weight gain in females include: Increased fatigue or lethargy. Bloating or swelling in the abdominal area. Changes in skin texture, such as stretch marks. Noticeable changes in body shape or distribution of fat.
Jun 10, 2024 · Some causes of unintentional weight gain include underlying health conditions, being stressed, eating more highly processed foods, and not exercising.
