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13 May 2022
In our life, we go through several emotions. Some are positive and some are negative. However, all emotions are important. As humans, we deal with positive and negative emotions in different ways.
Have you ever thought, why do i eat when i’m stressed?
Having a bad day at work, unable to handle pressure of exams, losing a pet, there are many such reasons to trigger stress, a negative emotion. Fortunately, as human beings we are hardwired to try to reduce stress and uncomfortable feelings.
There are several mechanisms to cope with stress. Some people may prefer to engage in exercise, while some may prefer loneliness. Eating on other hand is one of the fastest and easiest “stress response” we can use to deal with stress, but it’s not always an ideal one.
Stress eating is not always psychological. Sometimes, it may also originate from physiological stress such as eating disorder, illness, drug withdrawal which can be very challenging.
Most of the time we cannot completely eliminate these stress. However, the good news is we can reduce the negative impact of stress through other strategies.
Stress can stimulate our endocrine system to release a stress hormone called “cortisol”. Research also shows that stress increases the concentration of Ghrelin, a hormone often referred to as the “hunger hormone”. High ghrelin levels are thought to bring about an anxiolytic (similar to antidepressant ) effect which mitigates depression. At the same time it results in increased food intake which may result in increased body weight.
Several studies support the fact that the people with high cortisol reactivity report greater snacking in response to daily stressors.
Stress eating is often accompanied by loneliness, anxiety, depression, anger, and sorrow. Bearing one of these emotional stresses and craving for sugary or fat rich food are symptoms of stress eating.
Stress eating is a matter of concern when it’s used as the only attempt to control stress. Managing stress only by eating, contributes to over-eating, or causes guilt or shame after eating.
Long term stress eating may elevate an individuals calorie intake leading to obesity. Long term obesity may also lead to other health conditions.
Most importantly, understand that stress eating is a “coping mechanism” as result of stress. More often it is not a real hunger call. Eating habits can be managed through various other coping modes covered in this article, which doesn’t always need increasing your calorie intake.
Furthermore, regular exercise and balanced diet will be help to recover hormone imbalance helping you to maintain a good mental and physical health.
Siji is one of the founders of Fitfoody. She has spent over a decade as a medical professional, using her experience and knowledge to create Fitfoody- a health and fitness platform. Siji is a CIMSPA certified fitness coach practicing in the UK and helping clients across the world get fit and healthy. Apart from creating workout plans and coaching her clients, she enjoys travelling and experiencing culture from all over the world.