What we’ll cover

• How stress affects eating behaviours and weight
• The role of hormones like cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin
• Practical tips for managing stress and making healthier food choices

Stress is a normal part of life, but it can greatly impact how we eat, how your body stores energy, and how we manage weight. Stress doesn’t just lead to cravings or overeating, it can also influence the habits we form, making it easier to fall into unhelpful patterns. Understanding the connection between stress, eating behaviours, and habits is key to creating long-term, sustainable changes that support your health goals.

The Stress Response and Eating Behaviour‍

When stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline as part of the "fight or flight" response. While this response is meant to protect us in dangerous situations, long-term stress (like tight deadlines or ongoing challenges) keeps cortisol levels high for longer. This affects your body in several ways:

• Increased appetite: High cortisol levels can make you crave high-calorie, sugary, or fatty "comfort foods." These can temporarily soothe stress but often lead to eating in excess.
• Fat storage: Stress causes your body to produce more glucose (sugar) for energy and then crave more through food. When this extra energy isn't used it’s then stored around the abdomen.
• Disrupted hunger signals: Stress can confuse hunger hormones like ghrelin (which makes you feel hungry) and leptin (which signals fullness), leading to difficulty recognising when you're full, and therefore eating in excess.
• Formation of stress-related habits: Over time, stress can shape habits. For instance, repeatedly reaching for snacks during stressful moments or using food as a coping mechanism can become automatic behaviours that are hard to break.

How Stress Impacts Habits‍

Habits form when behaviours are repeated in response to specific triggers or emotions, such as stress. If stress consistently leads to comfort eating or skipping exercise, these patterns can become engrained over time. For example:

• Emotional eating: Stress eating often involves choosing foods that provide quick comfort, like sweets or crisps. Over time, this association between stress and certain foods can become a default response.
• Avoiding physical activity: Stress can make exercise feel like “just another task” instead of a way to de-stress. This habit of avoiding movement can lead to further inactivity, which affects weight and mood.
• Sleep disturbance: High stress can lead to habits like staying up late scrolling on your phone, or working late into the night, further reducing sleep quality and fuelling stress.

Recognising these patterns is the first step to breaking the cycle and replacing unhelpful habits with supportive ones.

Practical Tips for Managing Stress, Eating, and Habits

• Mindful eating:
  • Focus on your food, eat slowly, and savour each bite.
  • Use mindfulness and the hunger scale to recognise when you’re eating due to stress rather than hunger. This awareness can help break the habit of emotional eating.
• Stress management techniques:
  • Incorporate simple stress-reducing practices, like deep breathing, yoga, or daily walks in fresh air.
  • Regularly practising these techniques, even when not stressed, can prevent stress from triggering unhelpful habits.
• Healthy snack alternatives:
  • Keep protein, and fibre-rich snacks like nuts, yoghurt, or sliced vegetables, on hand to replace unhealthy foods that you initially crave.
  • Over time, reaching for healthier options can become an automatic habit.
• Structured routines:
  • Plan meals and set consistent eating times to reduce the likelihood of grazing or eating out of stress.
  • Build in time for movement or relaxation to form habits that support stress management and overall health.
• Prioritise sleep:
  • Create a bedtime routine that promotes better rest, such as avoiding screens, winding down with a book, or practising relaxation techniques.
  • Healthy sleep habits not only reduce stress but also improve overall energy and decision-making.
• Reflect and adapt:
  • Pay attention to triggers that lead to stress-related eating or behaviours.
  • For example, if you notice you snack when stressed, try stepping away from the situation and taking deep breaths before getting the opportunity to snack.

Summary

Stress is a powerful influence on how we eat, how we form habits, and how we manage weight. Over time, repeated stress responses can lead to patterns of emotional eating, cravings for unhealthy foods, and avoidance of physical activity. These habits, once formed, can feel automatic and difficult to break.

The good news is that small, intentional changes can disrupt these patterns. By practising mindfulness, using stress management techniques, and creating routines that support healthy eating and movement, you can replace unhelpful habits with ones that align with your goals.

Managing stress isn’t just about avoiding its negative effects; it’s about creating a foundation for doing positive things in response to it. With time, these healthier habits will feel natural, helping you navigate life’s challenges with greater resilience and balance.