are usually infrequent but can be equally stressful; the death of a loved one or undergoing a divorce has been shown to generate a significant stress response. Daily stressors involve the frustrations that many of us experience, such as commuting in busy traffic, working with people perceived to be incompetent, having too much work to complete in too little time and so forth. These stressors can occur frequently throughout the day and have the ability to constantly generate a stress response, which can lead to a number of health problems, such as increased incidence of heart attacks, gastrointestinal problems, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis, insomnia, pneumonia, influenza and headaches.
The effect of stress on belly fat
The major stress hormone that affects belly fat is cortisol; high levels of cortisol in the blood lead to increased deposits of belly fat. Enhanced blood cortisol levels make the liver release sugar into the blood, bringing about an increase in blood insulin levels. Constant high levels of cortisol and insulin in the blood encourage fat accumulation and an increase in belly fat, so individuals exposed to stressors may increase their belly fat stores due to their elevated cortisol and insulin levels.
There is a link between stress, cortisol and appetite, as studies have shown that injecting people with cortisol caused increased appetite and sugar ingestion. Young women who secreted more cortisol during stress also consumed more sugar and fat afterwards. Cortisol may influence appetite by binding to receptors in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that controls appetite. This can cause people to consume more junk foods, which contain large amounts of fat and sugar. Cortisol also regulates other chemicals that control appetite. For example, stress hormones such as corticotropin-releasinghormone and neuropeptide Y have been shown to stimulate appetite. Exposure to stressors also elevates inflammation levels, which have been implicated in the development of obesity.
How to cope with stress
There are a number of ways to cope with stress, including taking direct action against and seeking information about the stressor, inhibiting stressful actions and employing general stress-management habits. For example, if a person’s job is their main source of stress, then the best solution would be to find another job. Unfortunately, for most people this is not practical, so they have to find a way of coping with the stress generated by their jobs. If driving in morning traffic is stressful, then a way to cope might be to get information about traffic flow during different times of the day, to provide options for decreasing the stressful effects of traffic.
Another coping mechanism is to stop fighting the stressor and accept it – this is called inhibiting the stressor. It does not get rid of the stressors but saves the energy and effort required for coping with them. For example, rather than getting angry and upset every time you get involved in morning traffic, you could accept that city roads will always be busy and play music rather than get upset.
Finally, if a stressor cannot be removed or inhibited, then stress-management offers a number of strategies and techniques to reduce or stop the deleterious effects of exposure to daily stressors. Read on and learn how to use stress-management skills such as controlled breathing, muscle relaxation and imagery to avoid becoming agitated.
Stress-management
Stress-management typically involves managing stressors where possible, modifying appraisal of stressful situations, developing stress resistance resources, controlling stress reactions, controlled breathing, muscle relaxation and imagery. More information on these strategies can be found in Minding the Body, Mending the Mind by Joan Borysenko. 1 From a belly fat perspective, the most important strategies include the use of exercise and the development of controlled breathing, muscle
The effect of stress on belly fat
The major stress hormone that affects belly fat is cortisol; high levels of cortisol in the blood lead to increased deposits of belly fat. Enhanced blood cortisol levels make the liver release sugar into the blood, bringing about an increase in blood insulin levels. Constant high levels of cortisol and insulin in the blood encourage fat accumulation and an increase in belly fat, so individuals exposed to stressors may increase their belly fat stores due to their elevated cortisol and insulin levels.
There is a link between stress, cortisol and appetite, as studies have shown that injecting people with cortisol caused increased appetite and sugar ingestion. Young women who secreted more cortisol during stress also consumed more sugar and fat afterwards. Cortisol may influence appetite by binding to receptors in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that controls appetite. This can cause people to consume more junk foods, which contain large amounts of fat and sugar. Cortisol also regulates other chemicals that control appetite. For example, stress hormones such as corticotropin-releasinghormone and neuropeptide Y have been shown to stimulate appetite. Exposure to stressors also elevates inflammation levels, which have been implicated in the development of obesity.
How to cope with stress
There are a number of ways to cope with stress, including taking direct action against and seeking information about the stressor, inhibiting stressful actions and employing general stress-management habits. For example, if a person’s job is their main source of stress, then the best solution would be to find another job. Unfortunately, for most people this is not practical, so they have to find a way of coping with the stress generated by their jobs. If driving in morning traffic is stressful, then a way to cope might be to get information about traffic flow during different times of the day, to provide options for decreasing the stressful effects of traffic.
Another coping mechanism is to stop fighting the stressor and accept it – this is called inhibiting the stressor. It does not get rid of the stressors but saves the energy and effort required for coping with them. For example, rather than getting angry and upset every time you get involved in morning traffic, you could accept that city roads will always be busy and play music rather than get upset.
Finally, if a stressor cannot be removed or inhibited, then stress-management offers a number of strategies and techniques to reduce or stop the deleterious effects of exposure to daily stressors. Read on and learn how to use stress-management skills such as controlled breathing, muscle relaxation and imagery to avoid becoming agitated.
Stress-management
Stress-management typically involves managing stressors where possible, modifying appraisal of stressful situations, developing stress resistance resources, controlling stress reactions, controlled breathing, muscle relaxation and imagery. More information on these strategies can be found in Minding the Body, Mending the Mind by Joan Borysenko. 1 From a belly fat perspective, the most important strategies include the use of exercise and the development of controlled breathing, muscle
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