Can Stress Cause Overeating And Weight Gain?

The answer to this question is yes for two reasons.  The first reason is that stress can act as a trigger for emotional eating for many people.  This means that when some people are feeling stressed they eat as a reaction to this and not because they are feeling hungry.  When this happens they will be eating far more calories than they need each day and they will inevitably gain weight.

The second reason why stress has been linked to weight gain is that when the body is stressed it produces a hormone called cortisol that has been strongly linked to abdominal weight gain.  Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy when the body thinks that it may be in danger and increases the appetite to compensate for the additional calories burnt.  If the stress was of an emotional rather than physical nature few calories will have been burnt but the reaction of the body is the same-an increase in cortisol and thus appetite levels.

If we are constantly feeling stressed because of busy work schedules or the demands that family and friends make on us then we are likely to eat more than we should.  Controlling stress levels is an important part of losing weight as well as eating healthily and exercising regularly.  It is worth taking the time to learn some relaxation techniques or just making the time to unwind with a long hot bath or massage to keep stress levels as low as possible.

Losing weight is one of the best ways of improving health and fitness and it can help to reduce fatigue and improve energy levels, lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes and can also help to lower the risk of some forms of cancer.