There is a link between stress, junk food and overeating, but we can break it

Worktime stress leads to more eating and makes us opt for unhealthy foods, a new study suggests linking stress, junk food and overeating. 

Scientists from Michigan University say they found a link between work-related stress, junk food choices and overeating. But they remain positive saying that this bond could be broken and help us lead a healthier life. All we have to do to break the vicious circle is to have a good night’s rest.

The study, published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology, is one of the first to investigate how psychological experiences at work shape eating behaviours.

We found that employees who have a stressful workday tend to bring their negative feelings from the workplace to the dinner table, as manifested in eating more than usual and opting for more junk food instead of healthy food,” said Chu-Hsiang “Daisy” Chang, MSU associate professor of psychology and study co-author. “However, another key finding showed how sleep helped people deal with their stressful eating after work,” she added. “When workers slept better the night before, they tended to eat better when they experienced stress the next day.”

Over 200 workers in China participated to the two studies that showed the link between stress and unhealthy diets and the method to change all that. One study dealt with information-technology employees who regularly experienced high workload and felt there was never enough time in the workday. The second study involved call-center workers who often got stressed from having to deal with rude and demanding customers.

For both types of workers, the workday stress was brought home and transformed in unhealthy food choices and eating more than it was needed.

The scientists believe that the reason the negative feelings due to stress, impacted food choice and dinner behaviour was because eating is often used as a means of coping with emotions.

“First, eating is sometimes used as an activity to relieve and regulate one’s negative mood, because individuals instinctually avoid aversive feelings and approach desired feelings,” said co-author Yihao Liu.”Second, unhealthy eating can also be a consequence of diminished self-control. When feeling stressed out by work, individuals usually experience inadequacy in exerting effective control over their cognitions and behaviours to be aligned with personal goals and social norms.”

The fact that a good night’s rest has a positive impact on dinner practices, suggest how health behaviour is related.

“A good night’s sleep can make workers replenished and feel vigorous again, which may make them better able to deal with stress at work the next day and less vulnerable to unhealthy eating,” Chang, the author of the study says.

The results could help employers better manage their staff. Companies could consider emphasising healthy behaviour and even sleep awareness classes, the scientists say. It also explains why food-related job perks have become more common.