Stressed spelled backwards is desserts

You get some extra work in office and immediately you head towards the office coffee machine. You get into a fight with your friend and suddenly you feel like having something sweet. You are sad for no reason and you feel like eating a donut or an ice-cream ‘desperately’. We’ve all been there: craving for sweets to soothe our emotional needs and surprisingly ‘STRESSED’ when spelled backwards is ‘DESSERTS’ - this may be a coincidence but wanting sweets when stressed is totally scientific.

When you experience persistent stress, your adrenal glands release cortisol, which increases both appetite and motivation. Together, that makes you more likely to eat even when you don’t need it. Understanding how stress affects sugar cravings helps you recognize the signs, so you can say “no” the next time a craving strikes.

Sugar cravings when you’re stressed

Stressors are everywhere and everyone feels stressed from time to time - it can be routine stress related to the work pressure, school, family and other responsibilities or stress brought about by a sudden negative change such as job loss or a break-up.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress, few don’t like to eat anything while others overindulge in sweets and it’s OK to feel so! As research shows that when you eat sugar, your brain releases feel-good chemicals and its reward system is activated, just as it is by drug use. In fact, sugar addiction can be just as powerful as cocaine addiction. Occasionally using food as reward method to boost your mood isn’t necessarily a bad thing but when it becomes your habit to combat stress, it can give rise to other harmful feelings such as guilt and shame due to overeating and obesity. Even after eating your desired sweet, there are chances that you may feel stressed.

Dealing with your sugar craving

We understand that it’s hard to make cravings go away completely, though you can find healthier ways to deal with your emotions. Here are a few tips which can help you learn to eat mindfully, regain control of your emotions, and finally put a stop to emotional eating.

• To satiate your sugar cravings, keep dark chocolate handy with you. It not only helps relieve stress and improve your mood but keep your weight in check.
• Remember how sugar releases feel-good chemicals in your brain? Well, so does exercise! Even research shows that taking a brisk walk can help reduce sugar cravings. So, the next time you want to blurt out on someone or feel any negative emotion, hold on and take a walk.
• Conquer your craving by using bargaining technique: Rather than eating a sugary treat when a craving hits, make yourself a deal that if you still want it in two hours, or tomorrow, then you can have it. Chances are high that the ‘stress phase’ pass-by and you feel better automatically without even eating the sweet.
• If you continue to feel overwhelmed, get medical help. You can consult with a homeopath who can help you learn how to manage stress effectively. The doctor can help you identify situations or behaviors that contribute to your chronic stress and then develop an action plan for changing them. Homeopathic medicines for stress help to rebalance the mind and emotions. It is effective for people of all ages — from children with emotional or behavioral problems to adults bogged down by stress, depression, and anxiety.