|
Stress is another reason why women take the cookie jar, perhaps hoping that eating snacks will assist them feel better.
"Food is... an inexpensive Bee Pollen Capsules drug. It can make us feel good, a minimum of for a very short while," says University of California-San Francisco psychologist Elissa Epel. "Few people reach for carrot sticks in situations. Instead, we crave sweet, salty, and high-fat foods simply because they stimulate the brain to produce pleasure chemicals that really do reduce tension."
This soothing effect becomes addictive, so each time you're anxious, you start reaching for fattening foods, she says. But, based on Epel and colleagues, comfort food leads to high levels of abdominal fat with a dampened-down stress response system.
Cortisol may be the main culprit and the reason we crave junk food during times of stress. "Anxiety-ridden tension triggers your body to react by producing stress-related chemicals such as cortisol, which help in what is popularly called the 'fight or flight' response," says Dr Salvin.
"In the short term, it prepares your body for dealing with a problem efficiently but when prolonged, out of the box the situation with chronic stress, it may possess a negative and damaging effect on the organs in our body."
While small increases of cortisol have some positive effects - a fast burst of one's, heightened memory functions and lower sensitivity to pain - it is important that the body's relaxation response be activated therefore the body's functions can go back to normal following a stressful event. However when we are really stressed for any prolonged period of time, the high levels of cortisol result in the metabolism slow down, meaning weight gain. (See box)
Dr Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Md in the LightHouse Arabia, a residential area mental health clinic in Dubai, explains that aside from the many physiological effects cortisol has on the body, additionally, it acts on the brain and reduces our powers of self-control. Cravings are more pronounced when individuals are stressed, depressed or angry.
"Essentially, overeating activates the pleasure centres of our brain and brings temporary relief from our pain," she says.
Stress Guru Carole Spiers, an international motivational speaker and best-selling author of Show Stress Who's Boss!, agrees that lots of women will use food for comfort during periods of stress. "However, the converse often happens - that lots of people will miss meals when they are pressurized. Since they're so busy, they might start eating badly and snacking in their desks,'' she says.
She quotes the instance of the client who began putting on weight due to her lifestyle. "She was being employed as a worker Relations Manager inside a bank and survived on caffeine and unhealthy foods. Her metabolism had slowed right down as she wasn't eating the right foods and she or he was putting on a great deal of weight. Because of her time pressures, she didn't take any exercise or time away from her frenetic life.''
So essentially, the more you are under stress, the greater your chances are to put on pounds.
Managing the work/life balance
Within the Gulf, the whirlwind of business brunches, deadlines, not to mention the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to and from the office all contribute to stress, which can result in a plethora of health conditions.
"High-stress careers certainly increase stress levels," says Carole. "The difficulty sleeping before a conference, long business days, after which making excuses for their families for not being home with them-- These pressures are relentless and many women tell me they never get any time or space on their own.
"Financial pressures worldwide imply that stress is indeed on the rise as numerous women are challenged to keep their jobs. Women have to manage their work/life balance. It's still conventional the girl to accept children to college, run the house, perform the homework and set meals on the table. All that and look good at night when their husband comes home."
Work stress 's the reason a lot of women within the UAE take chocolate. Miranda El-Shentinawi, a professional personal assistant in Dubai, says her weakness for sweets at times of duress is responsible for her weight gain. "Whenever I'm under work-related stress, I attempt to fulfil my emotional needs with candy,'' says the 42-year-old, who is aiming to get rid of around 9kgs she piled on over the last year. "Having that chocolate was a temporary solution, because the stress did not vanish after having it."
She's now on the strict diet and it is exercising regularly.
Ancy S, a resident of Zi Xiu Tang Reviews Sharjah and a manager of a furniture company, also found she had put on near to 11kg this past year, an occasion when she was undergoing severe stress.
| |
フォトログ表示
