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Interoception and Eating Disorders

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IndieMeg
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26 Apr 2017, 11:57 pm

Do any of you confuse being tired for being hungry and because of it overeat? Interoception is a common issue among those with ASD and wonder if that is why eating disorders and ASD are co-occurring disorders.



melodiesmelody
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30 Apr 2017, 2:44 pm

I don't have that exact feeling, but maybe it's similar. When I'm hungry, I start getting a headache and feel depressed, sometimes even suicidally so. However, I recognize that when it happens, I can probably eat something and be okay - however, that makes me distrust my sadness or anger as authentic because I end up assuming they're just hunger.

I used to have an eating disorder because I got kind of mixed up and thought I could condition myself against depression if I stopped eating - not so. I think the problem may be worse now.

But, as many times as people say this, I think staying hydrated helps. It kind of regulates my physiological hunger so I can define whether it's that or my emotions a bit better.



Amity
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01 May 2017, 10:20 am

Quote:
Interoception is a relatively unheard of sensory system. It is the sense responsible for detecting internal regulation responses, such as respiration, hunger, heart rate, and the need for digestive elimination. It is detected through nerve endings lining the respiratory and digestive mucous membranes. It completes the internal picture of how the human body is perceived, along with the vestibular and proprioceptive senses.

http://spdlife.org/aboutspd/senses/interoception.html

Sometimes I don't recognise that Im hungry and will be more likely to notice that Im getting irritable or my brain is functioning slowly and then I know I need to eat something even if I dont feel the need to.