Dubai: Stress-eating or overeating is increasingly raising concerns as one of the collateral damages of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many worrying that their food choices are unhealthy, affecting well-being and self-esteem, fear psychologists.
Anxiety, boredom and stress, triggered by lack of social outings, and being confined to homes have resulted in people resorting to binging on comfort foods as a coping mechanism.
Feeding the ‘pleasure centres of our brains’
Nadia Brooker, a specialist eating disorder psychologist at Priory Wellbeing Centre, Dubai, told Gulf News that of late, she had been treating several patients complaining of stress-eating. Brooker explained: “During stressful times, our bodies often crave high calorie, high sugar foods, as these provide energy bursts and activate the pleasure centres of our brains that help regulate difficult emotions. Because stress elevates cortisol levels, it can also increase our appetites.”