The Natural Sleep Aid Blog

There are times when you truly feel famished because you don’t have time to eat all day and by the time dinner hour rolls around you can barely contain your hunger. Hunger can also be an issue after an intense workout at the gym or if the body is lacking certain nutrients from a restricted diet. However, there are times that hunger is not the issue and eating is used to console emotional behavior. There are several reasons for emotional eating but once this habit is established it can be very hard to break.

When food becomes a comfort it becomes an addiction. Some of the biggest reasons why people turn to food are stress, anxiety, anger, pms, depression, loneliness, an eating disorder, or to cope with the loss of a loved one whether it be death or divorce. Food is no longer looked at as nourishment for the body but rather medication to help ease emotional tension. When you begin to recognize the different triggers that send this behavior spiraling out of control you can practice alternative ways of coping. You also treat the cause of uncontrollable eating, break the vicious cycle of self abusive, reduce various health risks, and regain control of your eating habits.

 There are several steps you can take to regain control of your eating habits as well as your thought process. The most important step is to try and see what things trigger this kind of eating. Track it on paper to see if there are specific patterns that you can break. Once you are able to track what prompts your emotional eating, begin comforting yourself with something other than food such as calling a friend, listening to music, exercising, or taking a relaxing bath. It is best to eliminate all junk food in the house so there are no temptations knocking at your door. Only go to the grocery store when you are satisfied both emotionally and physically so you don’t buy the wrong things to feed this behavior. Make healthy eating a priority in your life and eat a balanced diet everyday to help decrease cravings. Once you have switched to healthier eating try to recognize the signs between true hunger and emotional hunger. When you feel the need to eat wait about 15 minutes to see if your hunger passes, if not, pick a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit or a handful of unsalted almonds. Lastly, get regular exercise and sleep because they both help the body to release key hormones that help stabilize mood and well being.