Stress for work, for the family, for the pending issues that need to be settled and time is your worst enemy. In simple words, your stress has “hit red” and as if all this were not enough, you suddenly start to see the number on the scales go up and you wonder what could be wrong. Do not educate anymore, the culprit you are looking for is stress hormones.
And yet it is true! While you are in a state of panic, your hormones are partying and your body is cooking the perfect recipe to increase your weight.
Researchers have linked stress to weight gain, and while at first it seems to help reduce appetite, prolonged stress actually enhances the feeling of hunger, so we end up eating more than usual.
Fight or Flight
The term “fight or flight” (fight or flight), represents the choices that our ancient ancestors had when they faced danger in their environment. In other words, they could either fight or leave. So every time you are stressed, your body enters a fight or flight mode, which forces it to release the hormone adrenaline to help you survive the perceived threat for which you feel anxious. When the adrenaline drops and your blood sugar levels drop, the hormone cortisol rises to give you more energy to keep facing the threat.
The body because it realizes that you have used calories to deal with stress, even though you have not done so, believes that you need to replenish these calories, resulting in overeating, explains Dr. Pamela Peeke, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland.
Cortisol and body weight
Prolonged exposure to cortisol in the long run leads to weight gain as it causes greater insulin secretion resulting in increased body fat stores. According to Robert M. Sapolsky, Ph.D., a professor at Stanford University: “The net result will be an increase in fat deposition in a specific part of the body” and in most cases it is in the abdomen due to the greater sensitivity of fat cells found there in cortisol.
Stress can also affect the hormones of “hunger”, leptin and ghrelin, which send signals to the brain determining how hungry you feel. In particular, cortisol leads to an increase in ghrelin in the stomach, thus triggering the desire to consume more food.
Cortisol and metabolism
Cortisol can not only make you hungry, but it can also slow down your metabolism. A study in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that, on average, women who reported one or more stressors the previous day burned 104 fewer calories than women who did not. This could lead to a weight gain of 11 pounds in one year.
The food of “consolation”
Stress also seems to affect dietary preferences. Numerous studies have shown that physical or emotional distress increases the intake of foods high in fat, sugar or both. So, instead of a salad or a fruit, you are more likely to look for cookies, chips and chocolates, the so-called comfort foods.
Jason Perry Block, an assistant professor of population medicine at Harvard, says that food can be a source of comfort and help reduce stress.
Thus begins the vicious cycle: More stress = increased cortisol = increased craving for junk food = weight gain.
The good news; There are ways to break this cycle of stress – weight gain.
Some helpful strategies are:
- Focus on the exercise but do not overdo it. High-intensity exercise can increase cortisol levels.
- Get as much sleep as you need. Lack and poor sleep quality increase cortisol levels.
- Avoid stress-increasing foods such as caffeine, soft drinks, alcohol, juices, pasta and white flour.
- Focus on healthier comfort foods, such as a bowl of homemade popcorn.
- Drink water before eating. Proper hydration will help you avoid the confusion of feeling thirsty for hunger. This can reduce unnecessary snacks.
- Buy chewing gum. According to research, chewing gum leads to decompression from stress and a greater sense of well-being, possibly due to better blood flow to the brain.
- It warmed the atmosphere. Light a scented candle, put on soothing music and wrap yourself in a warm blanket. This atmosphere will help you calm down.
- Take care of your pet. Adopting a pet can help improve mood and reduce stress, as interacting with animals helps release oxytocin.
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