The Stress and Obesity Conundrum

As we all know, experts are regularly thrashing together medical studies with the hope of making those defining findings. Two things which are commonly at the center of these studies are stress and obesity, with scientists discovering that these two link to each other much more than anyone initially thought. 

In fact, if you were to read any magazine or newspaper you would probably see two types of headlines. One might focus on how the nation is becoming more obese, while a separate one might concentrate on the “added stresses” of modern-day life.

Suffice to say, through this page, we’re going to link the two topics together.

You see, as we start to see more and more people turning to bariatric procedures, it’s obvious that obesity is a problem which has grabbed hold of the nation. However, when you then start to study all of the risk factors, it becomes painstakingly obvious why this is the case.

Through our research, we’ve found out some of the biggest reasons why stress could be playing such a big part in obesity. Let’s take a look.

We work longer hours, with fewer vacations

This is perhaps the big issue to take – the fact that the modern-day employee works longer hours and happens to take shorter vacations.

This in itself is a problem; families now struggle to have the time to put together healthy meals and are now more likely to rely on alternatives which do no favors to your waistline. The stress of day-to-day work wreaks havoc with schedules; healthy meal preparation is arguably no longer a priority.

Scary media headlines cause more stress – and potentially more obesity

Nowadays, the news isn’t too far away. Whether it’s via TV, radio or internet – most of us have a good idea what’s going on.

The argument from experts is that this increases our stress levels, particularly as there are so many harrowing stories currently being documented.

It means that we are more likely to drive children to a location, rather walking, which of course reduces exercise considerably.

It means that parents once again have less time – and this comes back to the point about no longer having the time to prepare nutritious meals.

Sleep is linked to stress; sleep is linked to obesity

It’s certainly not unheard of for stressed individuals to suffer with their sleep.

Interestingly, if you do struggle to sleep, your chances of being obesity immediately shoot up as well. Countless studies have proven this and if stress is causing sleep disruptions – it’s fair to say that the problem is deep-rooted.

Stress can affect our body clock

Again, this is further proof that stress and obesity is part of a bigger picture. Due to all of the issues we have covered so far, there’s every chance that your meals will have become irregular.

This has a direct impact on your biological clock, which also happens to influence your hunger levels. Ultimately, when your eating patterns are all over the place, it means that the signals associated with hunger also become distorted. Unsurprisingly, this can cause obesity as well.