How Chronic Stress Affects Eating Patterns

Even if we affirm ourselves, that we are good and valuable enough, and change the mindset, caring for ourselves is more than that. Changing our bad eating habits is also an important step.

 Chronic stress can affect the body’s use of calories and nutrients in a number of ways. It increases the body’s metabolic needs and increases the use and excretion of many nutrients. If you are not eating a nutritious diet, this can lead to deficiencies. Stress also creates a chain reaction of behaviours that can negatively affect eating habits and lead to other health problems in the future.

When the body is under stress, it needs more oxygen, energy, and nutrients. However, people who suffer from chronic stress often have a desire for foods that are comforting but unhealthy, such as snacks or sweets that are rich in fat and calories but poor in nutrients. People who are stressed may not have the time or interest to cook healthy, balanced meals, or may miss or ignore their meals. Stress can affect sleep quality by making it lighter or more interrupted, which results in tiredness during the day. To deal with daytime tiredness, people may rely on stimulants to boost their energy, such as caffeine or high-calorie foods. The opposite may also be true, that poor sleep is a source of stress. Research has shown that sleep deprivation leads to a significant rise in cortisol levels.

During short-term stress, the hormone adrenaline reduces the appetite. But with long-term stress, high levels of cortisol may trigger cravings, especially for foods that are high in sugar, fat, and calories, which may cause weight gain. Cortisol promotes the storage of fat in the abdominal area, also known as central adiposity, which is linked to insulin resistance and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some breast cancers. It also decreases levels of the hormone leptin (that makes you feel full) while increasing the hormone ghrelin (that makes you feel hungry).

Emotional eating

Food serves as natural fuel to us, but when stress eating during challenging circumstances happens often, it may negatively impact health and overall well-being. Moreover, Stress eating, which involves consuming food not out of physical hunger but to suppress or conceal unpleasant emotions and situations, is a common response to challenging circumstances.

Not all of the time do we eat to satisfy our physical hunger. Many also use food for comfort, stress relief, or self-care. And when we do, we frequently turn to sugary snacks, fast food, and other soothing but harmful foods. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t address emotional issues. It typically makes you feel worse. Afterward, the initial emotional problem persists, and you also feel bad for overeating.

Finding the difference between emotional and physical hunger is essential in combating emotional eating. This may be more difficult than it appears, mainly if you frequently use food to cope with your emotions. Because emotional hunger may be so intense, it’s simple to confuse it with actual desire. However, there are indicators you can look for to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger to avoid mindless eating.

Sources:

• Yau YH, Potenza MN. Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol. 2013 Sep;38(3):255-67. PMID: 24126546; PMCID: PMC4214609.
• https://fitelo.co/resources/articles/stress-eating/