Simple Strategies to End Stress-Related Overeating

Managing emotionally motivated weight gain requires advance planning.

Posted: June 2019

The amount and the time you eat is not just hunger, which you probably already know if you've ever been leaning on a bowl of ice cream after a particularly stressful day. Stress can trigger a cascade of physical reactions in your body that can not only encourage you to eat more and make you want to eat less nutritious and fatter foods, but also help you take a lot more pounds off.

"Stress raises the levels of a hormone called cortisol in the blood," says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, a medical professor at Harvard Medical School. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that helps regulate your metabolism. It also plays a role in the management of blood sugar and memory. When cortisol levels increase, this can promote inflammation and cause the body to start accumulating fat around the mid-section. "Stress can also disrupt sleep and get people to look for food while they would not normally, like in the middle of the night," says Dr. Stanford.

Previously, this biological stress response could have been beneficial, helping the body store gasoline during difficult times. But today, there is usually no famine to survive, not to go beyond. As a result, stress can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

Women under pressure

There is some evidence that women are disproportionately affected by stress. A survey conducted in 2012 by the American Psychological Association found that women reported higher levels of stress than men (5.3 points out of 10 for women, versus 4.6 for men). And a higher percentage of women, 23%, reported experiencing extreme stress, compared to 16% of men who reported the same thing. In addition, women were more likely to say that their stress level was increasing (43% versus 33% for men). For many of these women, it is this persistent stress that causes weight gain.

Chronic stress versus acute stress

Stress itself can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Acute stress is the one you might encounter if you are in a car accident. Chronic stress can come from long years of toil in a very stressful workplace or taking care of a family member with a long-term illness.

However, although stress is an inevitable part of life, the weight gain that can accompany it is not. By changing your stress response and adopting strategies to reduce it, you can prevent the numbers from moving in the wrong direction, says Dr. Stanford.

Here are some of these strategies:

Burn the tension. Exercise is a crucial part of stress management because physical activity can actually reduce cortisol levels. But you will find excuses to avoid training if you dread them. Find an activity you love – your "soul mate training", as Dr. Stanford calls it, can help you maintain the regular physical activity you need to dissolve daily stress. . For some people, this can be yoga, for others, high intensity exercises or a combination of both.

Prioritize sleep. A lack of sleep can increase the amount of stress hormones that circulates in your body. It is therefore essential to ensure a restful sleep. "Avoid going to the screen at least an hour before going to bed," says Dr. Stanford. This includes your smartphone. The blue light emitted by smartphones can interfere with sleep.

Change your perspectives. The amount of stress a person suffers is based not only on the circumstances, but also on the perception of those circumstances. Two people can do the same job, but only one perceives it as stressful. In addition, the ability to handle stress varies from one person to another, depending on one's personality or first life experiences. Working to change the way you think about challenges can help reduce stress.

Plan in advance. If you are entering a period of high stress, get ready by putting up supports. "A woman with whom I worked has gained weight at the same time every year around the anniversary of the death of her child," says Dr. Stanford. If you are preparing for a stressful event or are facing a work deadline, look for additional support to help you. This can include adjusting your schedule to add exercise, or setting up a healthy eating plan to help you resist the temptation to nibble unhealthy foods .

Talk to your doctor. If you have trouble managing stress or controlling your emotions, talk to your primary care physician. He or she may be able to refer you to a health coach, support services or an obesity specialist. Medications can help some women, but they need to be taken long term, otherwise you will be able to gain weight.

Image: © Vadym Petrochenko / Getty Images

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