Yes, Stress!
You’re trying to diet and live an active lifestyle, but the scale just won’t budge. It could be stress. Yes, stress can make you gain weight. In today’s hustle and bustle world we are busier and under more psychological stress than ever before. The average adult stressors may include financial obligations, relationship issues, relocation, marriage or divorce, being a caretaker, and of course job stress. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder in 2016, fewer than half of workers with extremely low-stress levels (41 percent) feel they are overweight compared to 77 percent of workers with extremely high-stress levels. So, it is your boss’s fault your overweight! Not quite.
Stress, Emotions, and Obesity
Stress and emotional brain networks can lead to obesity. An evidence-based article, Stress-induced Obesity and the Emotional Nervous System, explains the complicated connection between stressors, the body, the brain, and food intake. The cycle begins with a stressor triggering an emotional and physical response. In response to this stress, the body releases hormones called glucocorticoids and insulin. These hormones promote hunger and increased food intake. As a person eats the pleasure center of the brain is activated. This relieves the stress and reinforces the habit. This is why many people will indulge in fattening foods after a hard day at work or a stressful situation. So all you have to do is avoid all stress and the pounds will fall off! Not really.
Lack of Sleep
Lack of sleep can cause bags under your eyes and extra pounds on your waistline. Not a good look for anyone. Evidence suggests a link between poor quality sleep or lack of sleep with obesity. Experts at the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago point out the obesity epidemic parallels reduction in the amount of sleep in today’s society. Sleep directly affects the metabolic and endocrine processes within the body. Lack of sleep can cause several imbalances within the metabolic system and hormones such as insulin, cortisol, ghrelin and leptin levels. (Insulin, cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin are hormones that control hunger, feelings of being full, and regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.) All of these imbalances play a role in weight gain and obesity when you have poor quality or too little sleep. So, you can blame it on lack of sleep and just dream away the pounds! Not exactly.
What about the Children?
Ah ha! It has to be your kids’ fault. They cause stress and make you buy all those fattening snacks. It definitely has to be the kids’ fault! No, it’s not the kid’s fault. However, your stress could contribute to your child’s risk of obesity. A study published by the Pediatric Journal of Medicine identified stressors including serious life events, parenting stress, lack of social support, and parental worries. The study then calculated the odds for childhood obesity in the presences of family stress. The results noted that children from families with increased stress factors had two times the obesity rate than that of their peers.
So, who or what is causing you to be overweight or obese? According to the experts, obesity and weight gain can be caused by many factors but rarely caused by only one factor. Remember the next time your trying to lose but the scale just won’t budge. Don’t just diet and exercise, but also be sure to get enough rest and try to decrease stress. Eat nutritious foods, be active, sleep, and relax to maintain a healthy weight for yourself and your family.
For further reading on the subject:
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Obesity-and-stress.aspx
Resources:
Beccuti, G., & Pannain, S. (2011). Sleep and obesity. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 14(4), 402.
Dallman, M. F. (2010). Stress-induced obesity and the emotional nervous system. Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 21(3), 159-165.
Koch, F. S., Sepa, A., & Ludvigsson, J. (2008). Psychological stress and obesity. The Journal of pediatrics, 153(6), 839-844.