Why do I over eat when stressed or emotional? We have all been there before. Work is stressing you out, you are going through an emotional roller coaster and you cannot stop yourself from emptying a bag of chips, eating candy or eating anything that screams carbs! And while eating some chips is not the end of the world, this habit can really have an impact on your health and weight. Especially when stress eating happens more than just once in a while.
So why do you over eat, or do we only reach for the foods high in sugar and fat ? The reason might surprise you!
When stressed your nervous system sends a message to the small part above your kidneys called Adrenal glads to pump out a hormone called Adrenaline. This sets your body into a fight-or flight response. It makes you more alert and it puts your hunger on hold. This happens in the first stages of stress, and it happens quickly, like during a scary movie or while doing something risky.
But when the stress you experience is becoming a part of your daily life, than the response to stress changes. Adrenaline is being replaced by the hormone Cortisol. And this hormone increases your appetite. Especially when cortisol levels stay high.
Now it would be helpful of our bodies to start craving more veggies. Yet sugar and carbohydrates is what most people start to crave, like: pasta, ice cream, pastries or candy. And while this is not usually the healthiest option, there is a reason why our bodies start to crave more sugar. And that is because sugar can weaken the ability to process stress. Meaning your body and mind feel less stressed because of eating sugar. But nothing could be further from the truth, because now you feel better, while the body has to work even harder to control the damage that cortisol is doing to your body. And in turn it makes you even more prone to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
Although these are some natural responses, there is hope to overcome this stress response.
Aside from cortisol spiking your appetite and sugar lowering the feelings of stress. Most of the reasoning behind stressful eating is a learned behavior. Chocolate has given you a good feeling before, which is exactly what you seek during an emotional time. Now it is up to you to find a healthier alternative, that you like, to create a new pattern. That could be a healthier chocolate, or something stress relieving like a walk in nature. Both are good options to relieve stress, one helps to create space to see what you are stressed about and the other gives you a quick fix.
The most important thing is to relieve yourself from stress. Even while stress will always be a part of our modern lives, it is important to create habits that clear the mind and calm our nervous system. Ideally doing this on a weekly or monthly basis to lower you cortisol levels overall.
Things like walking in nature, writing out how you feel, doing yoga or even taking some time every day to close your eyes and just breathe can help.
Here is a calming breathing exercise to get started:
This article on stress and emotional eating and all other information on this website is presented for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or advice of a qualified, licensed medical professional. The facts presented in this article or on the website are offered as information only, not medical advice, and in no way should anyone infer that we are practicing medicine. Seek the advice of a medical professional for proper application of this material to any specific situation.
We hope this post gave you more insight on why listening to your body is important. Please share this post with anyone who might benefit from it.
