Why does the scale show more pounds when you're under stress, constant pressure? Have you noticed that fatigue makes you crave sweets and that you lack the will to exercise? How is it possible that a single period of tension can rearrange your appetite and change your body shape?
Are you stressed and your body can't handle it anymore? Today's pace of life has become prisoner of high expectations, constant distractions and obligations that often exceed a person's limits of endurance. Although stress is usually associated with restlessness and anxiety, has much deeper consequences that are imperceptibly inscribed in our body.
The hormones that should support balance turn against us. We tell ourselves we'll make up for it later - but in the meantime, fatigue builds, insomnia sets in, and eating habits slip into chaos.
All of this together creates ideal conditions for fat to start accumulating right where we least want it.
Cortisol – a hormone that slows down metabolism
Cortisol is considered a key player in the stress response. Its primary function is to prepare the body to face danger, which was not a problem in the past. Today, however, this hormone It releases excessively and for too long, which brings about a series of changes.
When cortisol remains elevated, stimulates cravings for sweet and fatty foodsIt also slows down your metabolism as your body tries to conserve energy. The result is the accumulation of fat around your belly, a characteristic sign of prolonged stress.
Poor sleep as an invisible ally of weight gain
If night after night you sleep less than seven hours, the body finds itself in a vicious cycle. Lack of sleep leads to an imbalance of leptin and ghrelin – hormones that regulate feelings of satiety and hunger.
When you are stressed, you wake up with no energy, which often leads to excessive food intake, because the body is looking for a quick source of fuel. That's why many people reach for simple carbohydrates in the morning after sleepless nights. They boost their mood in the short term, but in the long term, they promote fat storage.
Chronic fatigue reduces movement
Cortisol also lowers dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for feelings of pleasure. This makes people more likely to choose rest on the couch than walking or exercising. Even daily activity, which burns a lot of calories, decreases.
Instead of taking the stairs, we press the elevator button. This increases calorie intake and decreases expenditure – a combination that leads to slow but steady weight gain.
Irregular meals and overeating under pressure
Stress causes many people to eat when they can, rather than when they really need to eat. Main meals are moved to late in the evening, when metabolism is already slowed. This is a common phenomenon. emotional overeating, in which food is used to relieve tension.
Psychological exhaustion as a source of physical changes
Behind long-term stress lies a deep psychological fatigue. Constantly thinking about obligations, feelings of helplessness, and bombardment with information create a state that the body perceives as dangerous.
This makes a person lose motivation to take care of themselves. Less exercise, irregular eating, and lack of sleep are not character flaws – they are a natural response of the body trying to survive.
