A basic article on the causes of emotional (over) eating and strategies to combat it. I'm sure we're all aware of the general points in this article, but sometimes it is helpful to remind ourselves why we stress eat or binge and how we can avoid doing it.
| Emotional hunger vs. Physical hunger |
| Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. |
Physical hunger comes on gradually. |
| Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly. |
Physical hunger can wait. |
| Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods. |
Physical hunger is open to options–lots of things sound good. |
| Emotional hunger isn't satisfied with a full stomach. |
Physical hunger stops when you're full. |
| Emotional eating triggers feelings of guilt, powerlessness, and shame. |
Eating to satisfy physical hunger doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. |
How sleep affects cravings and weight gain Alternatives to emotional eating
Ever noticed how when you’re short on sleep you crave
foods that give you a quick energy boost? There’s a good reason for
that. Lack of sleep has a direct link to stress, overeating, and weight
gain.
There are two hormones in your body that regulate normal feelings of
hunger and fullness. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin sends
signals to the brain when you are full. However, when don’t get the
sleep you need, your ghrelin levels go up, stimulating your appetite so
you want more food than normal, and your leptin levels go down, meaning
you don’t feel satisfied and want to keep eating. So, the more sleep you
skip, the more food your body will crave.
As well as making it harder to fight food cravings, feeling tired can
also increase your stress levels, leading to yet more emotional eating.
To control your appetite and reduce food cravings, try to get plenty of rest—about eight hours of quality sleep every night.
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