Why do we eat more when we are stressed?

Research shows that in the event of stress, about 40% of people decrease their desire to eat, about 40% increase their desire to eat, and 20% of them do not change their eating habits. Stress causes some changes in our body. For example, the hormone adrenaline is secreted from the adrenal glands. This hormone causes the “fight or run” response to start when we face a danger. In this case, the heart rate increases and blood pressure rises. The blood flow is directed to these organs to nourish the muscles, heart and brain. At the same time, other functions that require energy in the body, such as eating and digestion, are restricted. Therefore, stress causes our desire to eat in the short term to decrease. However, if the time spent under stress increases, cortisol level remains high in the body. Therefore, in case of long-term stress, people want to eat more than short-term stress.