Effects of Stress:
Hair Loss
II Overall Health II
Depression II
Related Illness II
Ulcer II
Weight Loss II
Weight Gain
Stress and Weight Gain.
Stress and weight gain seem to go hand in hand. The chemical
cortisol seems to be linked to stress related weight gain.
Stress may cause weight gain because stress makes the body to
create a chemical called cortisol. High levels of cortisol is
linked to abdominal fat. Dieting may actually cause stress.
Repeated yo-yo dieting over many years can actually make us fatter
because the cortisol produced by the stress of dieting may make us
more likely to develop fat in our bellies. This is why once
pear-shaped types may become more apple-shaped. Apple shaped body
types are more at risk for life threatening conditions such as
diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease than their pear-shaped
counterparts. So stress and weight gain needs to be looked at very
closely because it is not just a cosmetic problem.
Another theory is that those with excess belly fat produce more
cortisol when under stress and this causes additional weight gain.
Those that produce more cortisol, when under stress, had more
weight gain because these women tended to eat more.
Stress often causes us to reach for familiar comfort foods such as
high fat, high sugar, and high carbohydrate foods like cookies,
cake and chocolate. The chewing and the good feelings that we get
(temporarily) from eating these foods may make us feel less
stressed out for a while, but eating to relieve stress causes
weight gain. Why do we reach for these foods when we are stressed?
The reason is because we were created with a fight or flight
response system that helps us when in danger. The body cannot
distinguish the stress from a deadline, bills piling up, the loss
of a job, or your kids acting up from the stress of a wild animal
chasing you. In caveman days, when a wild animal was chasing a
person, that person would feel stress, the body would produce
cortisol which makes your muscles tense and ready to fight or run,
and adrenaline, which makes you feel more alert and ready to fight
or run. The body expects you to fight or to run when these
chemicals are produced which would burn excess calories. So the
body responds by causing us to eat more carbohydrates as soon as
possible to replenish the body from what was lost. Most people are
not running or fighting anymore, however, but we still produce
these hormones when under stress. Therefore, stress causes weight
gain.
The level of the stress hormone, cortisol, in the bloodstream
differs with each individual. Some people secrete more stress
hormone than others. Some people just react to stress by secreting
more cortisol than others. Studies have shown that the people that
tended to eat more when under stress were the ones secreting more
of the stress hormone, cortisol, showing that stress and weight
gain are related. Another study showed that those who reported
more stress in their lives and had high cortisol levels tended to
pack on the pound around the belly while those that reported less
stressful lives and had lower stress hormone levels tended to gain
weight in the hips. Some groups of people tend to have higher
levels of stress hormone than others. For example, pregnant women
in the last trimester of pregnancy, athletes, those with
depression, anxiety, malnutrition, panic disorder and alcoholics
tend to have higher levels of the stress hormone than other groups
of people.
Because of the role that stress plays in weight gain and in the
difficulty in loosing weight as well as the fact that the stress
hormone causes people to gain weight around the middle, people
should make stress relief a regular part of their weight loss of
weight maintenance routine. One of the best stress relievers and
promoters of weight loss, muscle gain and feelings of well being
is exercise. If the benefits derived from exercise could be put
into a bottle, it would be a best-seller. Exercise makes us feel
better because the body releases chemicals called endorphins which
not only relieve stress but also cause a reduction in cortisol
levels. Yoga is a great form of exercise to relive stress because
it both strengthens muscles and helps you concentrate on breathing
and relaxation. Simple meditation can also help relive stress. A
good time to exercise or practice meditation would be at the time
when the stress hormone, levels are the highest. The body tends to
secrete the most cortisol between the hours of six and eight a.m.
Also, if you are feeling tense and stressed out, instead of
reaching for a donut or cookie to make you feel better, try going
for a walk or popping in a yoga tape.
If you experience trouble dealing with stress, we
recommend using
Extress.
Extress is a homeopathic and nutrition
supplement that is exceptionally effective in providing the body
with the nutritional requirements which aid the body during
periods of stress, tension, anxiety, minor phobic reactions and
complaints of generalized patterns of anxious discomfort.
The natural ingredients in Extress complement the body's natural powers
to reduce stress and anxiety. The specific doctor-formulated Extress
formula naturally diminishes emotional sensitivity and mood
swings, calms and focuses attention, relaxes muscles and reduces the possibility of stress-induced head pain and muscle aches.
Extress also helps diminish hyperactivity, aggression and anger
outbursts.
