Do you tend to gain weight when you’re stressed? This problem is more common than you think. Stress and weight gain are strongly connected. Cortisol, the stress hormone, affects every system in your body, including the brain areas responsible for satiety and hunger. It also influences your metabolism, food choices, and energy levels.
Stress, Hormones, and Weight Gain
A stressful lifestyle can wreak havoc on your metabolism, leading to weight gain, sugar cravings, and heart disease. Under normal conditions, your body releases small amounts of cortisol on a daily basis. This hormone plays a key role in overall health. When you’re stressed, your cortisol levels go through the roof, messing up your thyroid, digestive system, and energy metabolism.
Chronic stress triggers hunger and cravings, affects hormone production, and causes your body to store fat for fuel. Research indicates a strong link between stress and hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, and obesity. When the stress hormone cortisol levels increase, your testosterone drops and insulin levels go up. Low testosterone levels have been linked to abdominal obesity, fatigue, and premature aging. High insulin production puts you at risk for diabetes. These factors combined may trigger weight gain.
How to Beat Stress-Induced Weight Gain
Dealing with stress is never easy. The best thing you can do is to de-clutter your life and make time for yourself. Get at least seven hours of sleep to allow your brain to recover from stress. Try relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and deep breathing.
If you have an office job, add more exercise to your life. Physical activity lowers cortisol levels and reduces the effects of stress. Be aware that certain foods, especially those high in sugar, raise cortisol levels and affect your hormonal balance. Avoid trans fats, seed oils, conventionally grown meat, alcohol, and sugary treats, and load up on berries, dark chocolate, nuts, salmon, and other foods that help relieve stress.
