“WEIGHT GAIN DUE TO STRESS” – Delna Pooniwala.
Have you heard of people who put on weight despite eating very less or practically nothing at all?
The person says he cannot sleep well or plan his meals. He may be on his multiple business calls and we know he is suffering from ‘chronic stress’.
We are all aware that Chronic stress is bad for health but most people do not realise that elevated conditions interfere with learning and memory, lowers immune function and bone density, increases weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease… The list goes on and on.
When a person is under stress, our body’s Cortisol level increases. Cortisol is a steroid based hormone which is synthesized from cholesterol. Cortisol is made in the adrenal cortex of the adrenal gland and is a critical hormone with many actions in the body. These hormones are involved in the regulation of metabolism in the cells and they also help us regulate stress within the body.
We could reduce Cortisol levels by lifestyle changes.
Regular physical activity where one burns out maximum calories (any form of a cardio workout),
Meditation (as it reduces anxiety and lowers cortisol levels),
Music (any music that you love lowers cortisol levels),
Good Sleep & also Laughter therapy.
Laughter lowers the levels of this hormone so try and go for comedy movies and plays or find people with who you can crack jokes.
It is important not to reach out to wrong foods at this point of time. Try and avoid fried foods & instead consume fruits with high content of Vitamin C like oranges.
Avoid stimulants like coffee, coke & Pre workout drinks post evening, as they may interfere with your sleep. Cortisol is at its lowest and growth hormone is at its highest during slow wave sleep. Ensure that this stage of sleep is attained every night.
In most cases people suffering from stress may not realise it as much as people close to them. Hence it should be the closest of people who have to be a support structure. They are the ones who could talk to the person and help him through the stress phase.
Nothing lasts forever and everything changes in life. Even these stressful phases.
