Can stress cause weight gain?

How stress could be impacting your weight

Feeling stressed out? Stress can have a negative impact on weight and could even cause you to pile on the pounds.

When we're stressed, the body kicks into ‘fight or flight’ mode, causing it to release the hormone adrenaline to help us fight off the perceived threat we're feeling anxious about.

Back in the time of our caveman ancestors, this rapid response was a survival mechanism to protect people from danger.

What happens to the body during stress?

To build up energy to deal with this (perceived) threat, the body also releases glucose, or sugar, into the bloodstream. When the adrenaline wears off and our blood sugar levels drop, the hormone cortisol jumps in to give us with more energy to cope with whatever strife we’re in.

But here’s the thing: since cortisol stimulates the release of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels, the body’s reaction to stress could also trigger sugar cravings and overeating. Studies have shown that people with higher weights tend to have an increased cortisol response to stress.

Not only could cortisol make us feel hungrier than normal, it can slow down our metabolism – this is the body’s way of helping us conserve energy so we can deal with whatever is happening.

A study in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that after having their metabolic rate measured, women who reported one or more stressors the day before burned fewer calories than those who didn’t.

Stress can also impact the hunger hormones leptin and grehlin, which send signals to the brain that determine how hungry we feel. While this is a useful survival tactic, the process also increases the appetite, which, as we’ve heard, can lead to overeating and unhealthy food choices.

How can I reduce stress?

Regular exercise is a great stress buster – in fact studies have shown that when we can tolerate physiological stress, in the form of physical activity, we’re better able to tolerate physiological stress. That’s where hiring a personal trainer can help.

Plus, when we train, the body can reduce its levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, according to Harvard Health.