Stress eating

RockinTerri

Does anyone else here have difficulty with eating while stressed? I've been recognizing it more myself recently, and I seem to gravitate towards sweet items to relax me.

147Me

RockinTerri wrote: »

Does anyone else here have difficulty with eating while stressed? I've been recognizing it more myself recently, and I seem to gravitate towards sweet items to relax me.

Yes, definitely.

It's reinforced in two parts:

1. Eating sweets gives a dopamine rush that is difficult to resist when feeling lousy.
2. In addition to that, eating bulk carbs at any meal increases tryptophan production in the body, which then increases serotonin levels... and serotonin has a nice calming effect -- nice for someone suffering from intense or chronic anxiety.

I think anyone who suffers from anxiety or depression would be more vulnerable to eating sweet / high-carb foods to excess. It's self-medicating and it's addictive.