Stress Eating
What is Stress Eating?
We all deal with stress in different ways. Some eat more and put weight on, while others skip meals and lose their appetite. Feeling tired, moody, emotional and anxious are all symptoms of stress.
Different types of Stress
Stress can occur for many different reasons. Stress can come from events such as losing a loved one, or from more simple daily events such as a project at work, change in job position, moving house or holiday time. Stress can also be induced though extraneous physical activity. Sometimes we know where our stress is coming from and other times our stressors are less obvious. Either way, our bodies deal with both emotional and with physical stress in the same way.
Stress Eating
When we feel overloaded, wired, and filled with anxiety our bodies release stress hormones. It feels natural to seek out ways to relieve yourself of these overwhelming thoughts and feelings. Stress eaters who put on weight turn to food in order to alleviate their stress. Others who skip meals or lose their appetite may distract themselves of the problems they face, but they fail to fuel their body.
Feel Well
If you are interested in our services, arrange a call with our friendly team.
We want to understand what is going on for you, so we can match you with the right practitioner.
We value being clear and open about our prices, so please check Our Fees before booking a call.
The Signs of Stress and Coping
Which of these sounds familiar to you?
- coffee throughout the day to keep you perky
- reaching for high fat/sugar/salt foods to calm you down
- mindless snacking on junk food
- skipping meals altogether
- eating fast food because you don’t have time to cook
- going on crash diets to lose weight
- not drinking enough water during the day
Stress Eating, Biochemistry & Metabolism
Reacting to stress in this way will create more stress for your body. The levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol will rise in the body.
This will affect the body in many ways, including a reduced production of thyroid and sex hormones. A sluggish thyroid will affect every system in the body, notably your metabolism, leading to weight gain and heightened symptoms around menstruation for women and low testosterone production for men.
The constant release of stress hormones by your body primes you to store visceral fat around your abdomen. This leaves you at high risk for developing conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and metabolic syndrome.
Stressor – an event or stimulus that causes you to experience stress
Stress – a negative condition that can have an impact on your mental and physical well-being
Coping – a problem solving process that you use to manage the stresses or events causing you stress
Adaptation – the process by which you modify the systems in your body to conform to the stress in your environment
Treatment for Stress Eating
We invite you to explore our services for Stress Eating
Learn more about Stress Eating
Here are some articles and blogs about stress eating
