Eating Disorders And Stress: How Chronic Stress Levels Can Lead To Disordered Eating Behaviors
Stress is a natural part of life that can’t typically be avoided. There may even be positive benefits to certain types and levels of stress, like an increased ability to problem-solve and potential physical health changes like an enhanced immune response. However, when a person experiences high amounts of stress over an extended period of time, they may try to manage stress in unhealthy ways, including through behaviors that can lead to an eating disorder.
The relationship between chronic stress and the development of eating disorders
Chronic stress can lead to a number of unhealthy coping mechanisms that attempt to relieve stress, but eating disorders in particular may be connected to this emotional state. Stress and anxiety can lead to direct disruptions in eating patterns, with some people eating more food when they are stressed out, which can potentially lead to weight gain. Other people may forget to eat entirely and experience weight loss. Increased production of the stress hormone cortisol can also lead to cravings for specific foods that people may identify as “comfort foods”—which are often foods that are high in fat and sugar and low in nutrients. Using the consumption or avoidance of food as a way to reduce stress can be one of the more common environmental factors that lead to eating disorders.
How chronic stress affects both body image and eating behavior
Stress can worsen a person’s overall mental health and exacerbate problematic thought patterns. If a person was already having distorted thoughts about their weight or body shape, stress may worsen these thoughts, potentially leading to unhealthy reactions like restricting food intake, as is common with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.
Emotional eating
Why emotional eating is not an effective coping mechanism
Emotional eating may make a person feel less stressed in the moment, but it might be thought of as an emotional Band-Aid. It might help a person get through a stressful time, which may not be problematic if it doesn’t happen too often. However, emotional eating does not address the root causes of the stress, and it can have negative consequences that may actually lead to more stress.
Binge eating as a way of coping with stress
Sometimes, emotional eating may involve binge eating, or consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time. Stress can be a common motivator provoking someone to binge eat. A person who is under a lot of time-sensitive pressure, like a work or school deadline, may justify binging by thinking that they don’t have a lot of time to spend consuming food, so they need to eat a lot of food at once.
When binge eating becomes a mental health condition: binge eating disorder
Many people may engage in binge eating from time to time, and while it may provoke some heartburn or stomach pain in the moment, it may not be particularly destructive if it happens only occasionally. When binging becomes a regular occurrence, though, it may be a sign of binge eating disorder. People with binge eating disorder regularly engage in binging, typically in lieu of other coping skills to process negative emotions and stress. Binge eating disorder can lead to both physical and mental health complications.
How an eating disorder can interact with stress in a vicious cycle
As with many problematic coping mechanisms, using disordered eating behaviors to process stress may actually increase one’s overall stress levels (although they may relieve stress in the moment). Higher amounts of stress could then lower a person’s sense of resilience, making them more vulnerable to self-esteem and body image concerns that heighten the symptoms of an eating disorder, and the cycle can continue. In many cases, both the disordered eating behaviors and whatever is causing the underlying stress need to be addressed and processed in order to facilitate eating disorder recovery.
Stress management techniques in eating disorder recovery
Because of the strong relationship between eating disorders and stress, learning some healthy and productive ways to process stress may help prevent the development of eating disorders and assist with eating disorder treatment. One possible way to address stress is through mindfulness.
How mindfulness can reduce stress
Mindfulness is the practice of connecting to the present moment, not ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. Mindfulness may help reduce stress by helping people to ground themselves and find a sense of calm and peace. Mindfulness can also mitigate some disordered eating behaviors as it encourages people to develop a stronger connection to their body. For example, a person who is practicing mindfulness may decide not to engage in binge eating because they have realized they are not actually hungry.
The impact of stress on eating disorder treatment outcomes
Eating disorders can be complex psychological illnesses that typically do not stem from one particular cause. However, given the role that stress can play in eating disorder development, learning ways to mitigate stress could help promote eating disorder recovery.
The relationship between stress and recovery success
Stress can take both a physical toll and a mental toll on the body. As mentioned above, stress hormones can result in food cravings and physiological reactions. Eating disorders are mental health conditions, but they can also be more closely tied to bodily responses than other mental disorders, so understanding how stress impacts the body can be crucial to eating disorder recovery.
Additionally, given how disordered eating patterns can become an unhealthy stress response, managing stress may directly reduce eating disorder symptoms. Studies have found that practicing mindfulness techniques can have a positive effect on eating disorder behaviors.
Mental health support for eating disorders
Because of how complicated eating disorders can become, particularly if they are developed partially as a stress response, professional mental health intervention can often be necessary to address them. A therapist may use cognitive behavioral therapy to help individuals identify and challenge inaccurate thoughts that may be contributing to eating disorders.
Online therapy for eating disorders
Disordered eating behaviors are often associated with high levels of shame and guilt, which may make some people feel hesitant to sign up for traditional in-office therapy. Attending online therapy could help in this situation, as it may help to provide a sense of distance and take some of the pressure off. With online therapy, individuals with eating disorders can communicate with a therapist through audio, video, live chat, or a combination of these methods.
Research has indicated that online therapy may be just as effective at treating eating disorder symptoms as traditional in-person therapy. One study examined the use of online therapeutic interventions to treat bulimia and found that similar outcomes were achieved through online and in-person therapy.
Takeaway
Can eating disorders be caused by stress?
While eating disorders aren’t necessarily caused by stress, stress can exacerbate the symptoms of an existing eating disorder. Sometimes, stress can also interact with other risk factors to contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, in those who are at higher risk.
A few potential risk factors include a family history of eating disorders, a personal history of psychiatric illness, and low self-esteem. Social stress and traumatic events can also contribute to the development of eating disorders. While many believe eating disorders only develop in young girls and college women, anyone from any demographic can develop an eating disorder.
How does stress affect your eating habits?
Stress tends to affect people in different ways. For example, some people tend to eat more when they’re stressed as a coping mechanism, potentially engaging in binge eating episodes. Others may lose their appetite when stressed and, therefore, eat less.
Those with bulimia nervosa may respond to stress by binging and purging. This is a pattern in which individuals typically consume large quantities of high-calorie food at once and then eliminate the food from their bodies to prevent weight gain, often through self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise. These types of stress effects can be dangerous for a person’s health, potentially leading to gastrointestinal problems and other concerns.
Individuals with anorexia nervosa may engage in food restriction when stressed. In general, those with anorexia have a distorted body image and an intense fear of gaining weight. Controlling their intake can be a way to control weight and cope with stress, but it can lead to physical problems like organ failure and even death.
How do eating disorders affect mental health?
Eating disorders usually have a significant impact on mental health. Obsessive thoughts about food, eating, and body size can take up much of a person’s time. The desire to hide disordered eating habits from others can lead to social withdrawal and a sense of isolation. Often, those with eating disorders also develop depression. Post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are other common comorbidities with eating disorders.
Why does stress make it hard to eat?
Stress can make it challenging for some people to eat because, along with increased cortisol levels, it may trigger the release of corticotropin. This can function as an appetite suppressant, which may lead some people to lose weight when they are stressed.
How do you calm stress eating?
Addressing the root of the stress and developing healthier ways to cope with it can be helpful. If you believe you have a mental health condition contributing to stress-induced eating, such as binge eating disorder, consider seeking professional treatment.
How to eat when anxiety won't let you?
It may be helpful to eat soft foods that are easier to chew and swallow or to drink protein shakes and smoothies containing fruits and vegetables. These options may be easier for your digestive system to process when you’re experiencing anxiety, and they can help you get the nutrients your body and brain need to function.
Prioritizing healthy eating habits, even when it’s challenging, may eventually reduce anxiety symptoms. It can also be important to speak to your doctor or a mental health professional about your difficulty eating due to anxiety, as this could indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder that could benefit from treatment.
What is it called when you don't eat when stressed?
The phenomenon of not eating when confronted with stress and other difficult feelings is sometimes referred to as “stress-induced anorexia,” but this isn’t a clinical term in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and isn’t the same thing as anorexia nervosa.
How to stop overeating when stressed?
It may be helpful to identify and address the root of your stress, as well as to develop healthy coping skills that don’t involve eating. Increased food intake may lead to a higher body weight and body mass index over time, and this can contribute to various health risks, so it can be vital to manage food consumption by prioritizing nutrient-rich foods. The journal Obesity Reviews discusses additional concerns and serious problems related to obesity (the condition of having high fat levels in the body).
What is a natural anxiety pill?
Various supplements may be helpful for anxiety, but it’s important to speak to your doctor before adding them to your regimen. A few examples include magnesium, valerian root, holy basil, and chamomile.
Should I force myself to eat when I have no appetite?
In general, it is important to eat so that your body and brain have the nutrients they need to function properly. It may be helpful to eat according to a regular schedule rather than relying on your appetite to indicate when you should eat. A food choice of nutrient-rich foods is usually ideal. Consider protein shakes or smoothies with fruits and vegetables if it’s hard for you to eat.
- Previous Article
- Next Article