How Is Stress Affecting Your Hormones And Your Weight Loss?

Stress has become an unavoidable and prominent part of our daily lives since we have so much going on all the time- work pressure, money matters, relationships, family affairs etc. When you are under a lot of stress, a hormone in the body known as cortisol is secreted in excess that can then affect our health, body, mind and soul. Here’s how stress affects our hormones and also our weight loss:

1. Stress affects our sleep- Cortisol is the hormone which helps us in staying alert and it is normally the highest during the day when we are active and lowest during the night when we prepare to go to sleep. So, when we are under a lot of stress the cortisol levels are highly elevated which makes it difficult to sleep and if you don’t get a good night’s sleep after a long day, it affects your body weight. An effective way to remedy this is to use essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, ylang ylang, cedarwood etc., which helps you sleep better. You can do this by putting a few drops on your pillow and just try to go to sleep. Since, you will be inhaling the oils it will relax your senses and it will make it easier for you to have a sound sleep.
2. Stress leads to unhealthy food habits- Stress hormones can heavily affect our food habits by increasing our cravings for sweet and sugary foods which leads to substantial weight gain. People, who are under more stress, tend to secrete more cortisol than people who are less stressed that is why they tend to consume more calories. In order to check your weight gain, the best thing you can do is to exercise which releases endorphins – hormones that lift your mood. Exercise also helps in increasing immunity that is otherwise reduced by stress.
3. Stress makes it harder to be active- Since stress affects your mood and body heavily, it sometimes becomes very difficult to stay active. It is common knowledge that stress affects your immunity system which leads to a drop in energy levels, sickness, decelerated muscle recovery, muscle soreness and pain in your body. In order to combat this, you can go for weekly body massages which relaxes your muscles, gets rid of the pain in your joints and muscles, reduces your blood pressure and also secretes endorphins which make you feel happy and positive.
4. Stress leads to binge eating- When you are stressed, your body tends to secrete higher levels of cortisol due to which the insulin in your body also gets hiked up. Because of this, there is a huge drop in your blood sugar levels which leads you to crave unhealthy junk and sugary foods. That is why they are known as “comfort foods”. Basically, the more stressed you are the more cortisol your body will secrete and the chances of you binge eating shoots up consequently. Meditation goes a long way in maintaining your peace of mind and also helps in limiting your craving impulses. This will help you keep your weight in check and stay healthy and happy.
5. Stress directly affects hormones- When you feel stressed, it affects the balance of your hormones and they go haywire. Since your cortisol levels are up it leads to slow thyroid function, inadequate production of sex hormones and also causes sugar imbalance. Additionally, this makes it very difficult for the body to secrete serotonin which generally helps you in feeling good and happy. The best way to combat this and bring your hormones in check is to follow a healthy and nutritious diet. Make sure you consume an adequate amount of protein and fibre in every meal. It is also extremely important to include carbohydrates, vitamins and healthy fats in your daily diet. Believe it or not, a well- balanced diet goes a long way in keeping you healthy and stress free.

Hormones are incredibly important in keeping our body and mind healthy. If our hormones are not in balance it can lead to heart problems, obesity, diabetes and other host of health problems. Even though, stress is not completely avoidable it can surely be kept in check by following the above mentioned ideas. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!