THE SCIENCE OF STRESS EATING
A quick, simple way to understand why your brain seems to want nothing but junk at the worst times, and some things you can do to fight against that without harming your health and well-being. Not a stress-eater? There’s an answer for that too.
You know when it’s past midnight but you’ve just got those creative juices flowing and decided to stay up and soldier through that paper? Or maybe it’s an exam you’re not prepared for. Or perhaps you’ve just had a rough week and the moment you get home you just demolish a bag of chips while curled up on the couch? Well, trust me, I’ve been there.
And the good thing about this? It’s perfectly normal.
Not only from a social standpoint, in the sense that you should be free to eat what you want without guilt, but also from a scientific one. Outside of Tumblr, I study neuroscience, so let me share with you some interesting facts about stress eating!
One of the major hormones involved in making you feel hungry is ghrelin. Easy to remember, just think of your stomach grumbling when you’re hungry. Ghrelin acts through specific receptors in the gut to promote muscle movements that result in that grumbling, as well as in the brain to promote the feeling of hunger. It also stimulates the production of yet another hormone that makes you feel hungry, Neuropeptide Y.
But that’s not all it does. Ghrelin goes waaaay up during acute stress. This could mean that one day before a really stressful exam or right after a rough day at work. As ghrelin increases, so does Neuropeptide Y, which aside from adding on to the feeling of hunger can also lead to the production of more stress hormones. So yeah, it’s a pretty vicious cycle.
That’s not all. Ghrelin is also involved in addiction and signalling the pleasure that we get from eating certain foods. Some studies showed that animals would put in more work to obtain an addictive drug if they had higher ghrelin - that’s how severely it affects addiction.
Ghrelin levels can also go up due to lack of sleep.
And weight loss.
So yeah, if you’re a sleep-deprived student trying to lose weight, this hormone is out to get you. But if you’re reading this and you’re thinking “I eat less when I’m stressed, this is nonsense,” don’t worry, there’s an explanation for that too.
During chronic stress, ghrelin is actually decreased. Think: two straight weeks of preparing and taking exams, months of stressful situations at work such as expecting to get laid off, and, yes, even weight loss. Not only is your body freaking out a little because you’re losing a lot of weight, it can also be an emotionally stressful experience. So in these cases, your appetite might go down (which is still not good for your health).
So what can you do about this?
Well, first and foremost, I would have to say get more sleep (if sleep deprivation applies to you). I know it’s not always easy or doable, but it’s the healthiest and most guaranteed tactic.
Minimize your stress by developing some stress coping techniques. Meditation, yoga, an hour of netflix - anything that you can convince yourself you need, and can also take your mind off the stressful situation. You might also find yourself getting back into that situation with a clearer head!
Eat healthy foods. Realistically, it’s hard to fight against your body’s own instincts. One of the big reasons ghrelin goes up during stress is also partly because your metabolism might be increasing a bit. So go ahead and eat - but portion it out and go for healthier snacks. Fruit, veggies, nuts and trail mix, oatmeal, etc.
Drink some tea. Not only is it relaxing, but hydrating yourself could attenuate the hunger your feeling by balancing out your electrolyte levels!
Stress eating is a tough beast to tame, and it is simply unrealistic to tell someone to “just relax.” There are so many factors involved in why you might suddenly feel an increase in your appetite, but at the end of the day it’s perfectly normal and everyone has gone through it one way or another.
Even if you mess up and eat a whole lot of junk food, it’s okay. The important thing to remember is that there’s an explanation for it, and it means that your body is working how it’s supposed to. Do not starve yourself, do not beat yourself up, and most importantly do not give up. Tomorrow is another day, and you can’t let one little thing define your entire journey to a healthier you!