How to Stop Stress Eating with 10 Effective Stress-Reduction Techniques

A high number of people blame stress eating as the primary culprit behind their weight gain and a significant barrier to achieving their health and weight loss objectives. You may do your best when things are going smoothly in life, but then you seem to fall off the wagon with your healthy eating and sleep hygiene when you experience a stressful event. Sounds familiar?

But there’s more to it: the most popular methods for managing stress, which sadly have become societal norms, do virtually nothing to lower cortisol levels (that destructive stress hormone we need to avoid accumulating excessively in our system) and render us less tolerant to stress over time.

The worst response to a stressful event? Remaining sedentary, reaching for an alcoholic beverage, indulging in a meal that spikes your blood glucose without providing valuable nutrients to support the nervous system, and staying up late binge-watching Netflix or doom scrolling on your phone. If you’ve ever tried this, you’ll agree that you wake up the next morning still burdened with the remnants of the previous day, and you don't handle life's difficulties any better. It's all a big myth that these methods are in some way soothing for the body or the mind.

To tackle the issue of stress eating, we must address the underlying cause: stress itself. It’s crucial to manage it effectively and healthily, ensuring it doesn’t impair how we feel the following day and that we successfully lower cortisol to avoid its destructive impact on our body and health.

Here are my 10 core tips for lowering cortisol when it spikes and lingers in the system longer than necessary, much like that guest who should have left ages ago.

By the way, if you prefer an audio format and a deep friendly conversation, tune in to the Nutri Upgrade podcast (available on all popular listening platforms) and check out these episodes:

• "Part 1 of 2: How to Stop Stress Eating with Effective Stress-Reduction Techniques"

•  "Part 2 of 2: How to Stop Stress Eating with Effective Stress-Reduction Techniques"

1. Movement

Engaging in physical activities helps reduce cortisol levels: movement triggers the body's natural mechanisms to manage stress, replicating the 'fight or flight' response, either to run or fight the threat. 

If you have ever watched a wildlife documentary where a lion chases an antelope, and if the antelope avoids being eaten by pretending to be dead, you’ll notice that when it gets up after the lion has left, it shakes off rigorously. In fact, all animals do this after a stressful, life-threatening event. Humans are designed very similarly in this respect.

So, after you have experienced stress and intense emotions, aim to move your body in any way possible: do squats, push-ups, star jumps, or (what I do to quickly de-stress) simply shake your limbs vigorously. Going for a walk is also excellent if it's an accessible option.

Regular exercise, especially in the morning when cortisol is at its highest, sets a positive tone for the day and helps mitigate low-grade, long-term stress. This is supported by numerous studies showing that physical activity decreases overall cortisol levels and improves mood. Speaking of gentle low-intensity movements such as light yoga and stretching in the evening - these are effective ways to de-stress and relax before bedtime, ensuring that you reduce the remaining cortisol and prepare for a restful sleep.

2. Get Outside on Fresh Air

Spending time outdoors, particularly in green spaces, has been scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels, enhance mood, and decrease stress. Natural settings promote relaxation of the mind and body, reducing the physiological markers of stress. If you try this, you will feel the effect almost instantly. The fresh air and natural light also play crucial roles in regulating your body’s natural rhythms and hormones.

Also, getting out of the place where the stress had originated is an effective way to calm down too.

So instead of driving or taking public transport, aim to walk to or from work, even if it is for a couple of transport stops. Consider cycling if that's a safe and accessible option. Another option to consider is having your calls outside and walking if these do not require you to be in front of your laptop.

I have a rule for myself to always walk if my destination is up to 30 minutes away.

3. Breathing Exercises

Breathing techniques like the 4-4-8 or 4-7-8, or 365 method, or square breathing (inhale, hold, exhale, hold while drawing a square with your eyes) are very effective in managing acute stress. These take just a couple of minutes, but the result is astounding. 

When we are stressed, we tend to hold our breath or breathe shallowly and often, and our exhales become short. These breathing exercises not only upregulate our breathing but also help activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the stress-induced responses by slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. By performing these exercises, you relax and halt the stressful state at a physical level, thus preventing further cortisol production.

The key here is to do the breathing exercise not for a set time, but until you feel you have calmed down. The massive pros are that these are accessible in any setting and don't require much time, effort or any expenses.

4. Don’t Feed the Monster 

Opting for nutritious foods rather than succumbing to cravings for junk comfort food can significantly affect your body's stress response. 

Healthy foods enhance the gut microbiome, which is proven to influence mood and stress levels through the gut-brain axis. Healthy food options also provide nutrients that strengthen your nervous system and help mitigate the damage done by stress and cortisol. In contrast, high-sugar and ultra-processed foods can exacerbate cortisol production and leave you less equipped to handle stress.

The good news is that when you reduce stress effectively by following the techniques in this article, your cravings will pass on their own. What I recommend is giving yourself a bit of time and not giving in to the cravings by not buying or ordering unhealthy options, and replacing them with healthier meals. Not having any junk in front of you is the key to success here.

Finally, if you find yourself constantly fighting your cravings, this might indicate that your cortisol needs to be lowered, or that you have nutritional deficiencies that can be corrected with dietary modifications. This is where a nutritionist can help.

5. Avoid Alcohol 

Alcohol is a depressant that initially depresses the central nervous system, causing temporary relaxation, but it ultimately disrupts sleep and heightens anxiety after it wears off. Alcohol consumption leads to an increase in cortisol and lowers stress tolerance in the following days. 

Essentially, alcohol only provides a brief 20-minute relaxation effect, but at the cost of increased cortisol levels later, worsened tolerance to life’s stressors, and a depressive and/or anxious state (the loss of valuable nutrients due to alcohol and a disrupted gut microbiome that produces 'happiness' hormones also play a role). Alcohol will also increase appetite and worsen any unhealthy food cravings.

As a side note: regular alcohol consumption also disrupts the natural healthy balance of our sex hormones and by stressing the liver makes it much harder to burn fat. 

6. Avoid Stimulants

Excessive stimulant consumption like coffee, coke, green or black tea, energy drinks, chocolate, and nicotine can increase cortisol levels and amplify your body’s stress response. Excessive intake can lead to heightened anxiety and stress, disrupting sleep and overall hormonal balance. 

Therefore, in situations where you already feel tense, consuming anything stimulating that would further increase your cortisol is the worst idea. Instead drink water or herbal teas and apply other methods in this article to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

7. Pay Off Your Sleep Debt

Quality sleep reduces physical and emotional stress, promoting restorative processes that reset and lower cortisol levels. Consistently good sleep prevents chronic elevation of cortisol, helping to manage stress and improve overall well-being.

A good-quality, sufficient night’s sleep is one of the best tools to alleviate stress, support brain health, mood, and the nervous system, and normalise blood glucose levels, all of which contribute to a lower appetite and reduced cravings for unhealthy foods. People who consistently get less sleep than needed or don't get enough restorative deep sleep (for example, due to alcohol consumption) often experience elevated blood glucose and cortisol, obstructing their progress towards weight loss.

8. Get Some Oxytocin

Oxytocin, often referred to as the "love hormone" or "bonding hormone," is a powerful natural hormone that counteracts cortisol and effectively lowers stress. Interactions with friends or relatives, hugs from your kids or loved ones, affection from pets, and yes, even intimacy with partners can significantly boost oxytocin levels.

You have probably felt this sense of warmth and relief after a nice phone conversation with a friend, a brief but positive interaction with someone you get along with, or even a friendly chat with a stranger, a shop assistant, or another parent at school. This warm feeling literally stops further production of cortisol.

Therefore, any activities that increase oxytocin are effective in lowering cortisol levels and are very important in managing stress on a regular basis.

9. Get Your Dose of Laughter

Laughter is a potent stress reliever, known for its immediate soothing effects. It not only decreases stress hormones, including cortisol, but also enhances your mood and relaxes your muscles, thereby helping to physically reduce stress.

Incorporating laughter into your daily life, whether through a joke with friends or colleagues, watching a funny movie after work, or enjoying a comedy or stand-up show, can effectively lower cortisol levels, activate your parasympathetic nervous system, and bring you into a relaxed and balanced state.

10. Healthy Triggers of Dopamine 

Engaging in activities that trigger dopamine in a healthy way, such as: achieving goals, accomplishing tasks (don't you find ticking off items from your to-do list rewarding?), listening to your favourite music, getting exposure to sunlight, exercising, or enjoying hobbies and creative activities, getting a massage and physical touch are all highly valuable in counteracting stress.

In one of my recent podcast episodes called "Why Stress Triggers Cravings and Increases Your Appetite", I explained that dopamine down-regulates the production of stress hormones and brings the body back to its pre-stress balance. During stressful periods, the brain may seek to balance feelings of discomfort or anxiety caused by stress with these pleasurable sensations, leading to cravings for ultra-processed, unhealthy and junk foods. 

We can get dopamine from destructive sources like forbidden substances, alcohol, nicotine, gambling, doom scrolling through social media, excessive gaming, and eating junk foods, which will leave us with more problems than we started with.

Therefore, getting dopamine in a healthy way is absolutely crucial for long-term health and weight loss goals. 

No one ever puts down their phone after 40 minutes of mindlessly scrolling and says, 'Wow, I feel so refreshed, resourceful, and relaxed.' However, setting goals, listening to some great music while working out, doing purposeful actions, moving towards your dreams or achieving even the tiniest daily goals, and engaging in pleasurable activities that you enjoy can all have long-lasting effects on lowering cortisol, reducing stress, and enhancing how you feel mentally and physically.

Final Advice Before You Go

I always recommend incorporating a variety of stress-reduction techniques into your life, including both 'micro' and 'macro' approaches.

'Micro' actions are simple daily practices, such as breathing exercises, using a home massage device on your neck in the evening, watching a short stand-up comedy episode, or reading a book before bedtime. Regular exercise also fits into this category. These small activities can vary day by day—you might exercise before noon, do a breathing exercise around 17:00, and enjoy a neck massage while watching something funny in the evening after work.

Then there are 'macro' techniques, which are less frequent but impactful. These might include calling a friend or relative, meeting up with a friend, booking a one-hour massage at a salon, or attending classes that involve activities you enjoy.

I've noticed that many people rely solely on 'macro' actions; however, these are often only feasible once a week, whereas we need to manage stress daily. That’s why it’s crucial to engage in accessible, straightforward 'micro' actions regularly to prevent the build-up of cortisol and its negative health effects.

Let me know in the comments which stress-reduction techniques surprised you the most and which ones you are going to try!