The Connection Between Alcohol, Stress, and Weight Gain

You’ve been stressed lately. Work deadlines are piling up, the dishwasher broke, and you have yet to clean up the aftermath of the flood in the garage. In the evening, you sit down to watch Love Island (a guilty pleasure — everyone needs one) and pour yourself a glass of cabernet (it’s become a nightly thing). You scroll through your phone and notice your favorite fitness retailer is having a sale — yay! You order a pair of workout pants in your usual size, but when they arrive you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. You can’t squeeze into them! Did they change the sizing? Or is it possible that you’ve put on a few pounds?

You hop on the scale, and yes — it turns out your weight has gone up. You find yourself asking, “Why am I gaining weight when I'm eating less and working out?” It could be that the stress and the alcohol together are sabotaging your fitness efforts. Let’s explore the connection between stress, alcohol, and weight gain and see how we can outsmart this devious duo.

What Is Stress?

Stress might seem like a nuisance, but there’s an evolutionary reason for it. Back in the days when saber-toothed tigers roamed the land and angry next-door neighbors were likely to show up with spears to chase us out of our cave, it was important to be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. The stress response is the body’s built-in alarm system that gets us into “fight-or-flight” mode at the first signs of danger:

• The amygdala sounds the alarm. The stress response begins in the brain with the amygdala — the area responsible for emotional processing — triggering a cascade of hormonal reactions to set the sympathetic nervous system in motion. The main hormones involved are epinephrine (or adrenaline) and cortisol, the official “stress hormone.”
• Our body reroutes its resources to respond to the attack. With the sympathetic nervous system acting as a “gas pedal in a car,” all body systems get ready to fight off the attacker or make a quick getaway. Our heart rate and breathing rate increase to power our muscles and organs; airways in the lungs open to maximize oxygen delivery to the brain; and nutrients get pumped into the bloodstream for a quick energy boost.
• All other functions are put on hold. At the same time, functions such as digestion are temporarily put on hold until the emergency has passed.

While the response is useful when we’re faced with danger, it tends to backfire in situations where an all-systems-go approach isn’t actually required. There are different types of stress out there, and some do us more harm than good, especially in the long run. Let’s take a closer look.

Not All Stress Is the Same

Here’s how the different types of stress can show up in our lives:

• Acute stress is short-lived. This is what the stress response was designed for — facing immediate danger by getting into “fight or flight” mode at a moment’s notice. It allows us to run out of a burning building in the middle of the night, be on high alert if we wake up to sounds of a break-in, or cross the street to duck inside a store if we sense we’re being followed on our evening walk home.
• Chronic stress drags on for a long time. Our modern-day stressors — disagreements with coworkers or family members, deadlines, financial troubles, and so on — don’t call for a full-blown fight-or- flight reaction. Unfortunately, we’re wired to respond to psychological stress in a physiological way. When the stress response gets triggered repeatedly in situations that don’t require it, we’re getting into troubled waters. The result? A host of health problems, such as heart disease, mental health problems, immune deficiencies, and more.
• Episodic acute stress is even more damaging. While chronic stress casts a shadow over our daily life, episodic acute stress is like a cloud that periodically erupts in an all-out storm. Like chronic stress, episodic acute stress gets triggered by realities of modern-day life, but it is more intense — and more damaging to our health.
• Traumatic stress is a shadow of the past. Remember that shadow of chronic stress? In the case of traumatic stress, it’s related to a traumatic event that may very well have required a fight-or-flight response at the time. However, if the danger has passed, the stress often remains, leading to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Environmental stress is caused by our surroundings. This type of stress comes from adverse conditions in our environment or surroundings. These can be anything from noise and overcrowding to unsafe living conditions. Environmental stress affects both our physical and mental health and comes with discomfort or unease.

Any type of stress can take a toll on our mental and physical health. And one of the most common ways it can manifest itself is in changes in our eating habits and the weight fluctuations that happen as a result. In fact, a study by the American Psychological Association showed that a whopping 70% of participants claimed that stress was a significant factor in their dietary habits!

Can stress cause weight loss? Sometimes, especially if we have the tendency to eat less when we’re anxious (or simply don’t have time to eat). However, more often than not it shows up as weight gain — especially if alcohol is in the picture. 

Stress and Weight Gain

Even before alcohol enters the scene, stress can lead to weight gain in a few different ways:

• It leads to cravings for “comfort foods.” In the short term, stress can actually trigger the release of dopamine — the reward neurochemical that evolved to keep habits alive in an effort to ensure our survival. However, chronic stress depletes dopamine levels, leaving us feeling lethargic and unmotivated. And since food — especially “comfort food” high in sugar and calories — boosts dopamine levels, we’re more likely to find that extra donut or slice of pizza hard to resist when we’re stressed. The media tends to normalize this tendency, which doesn’t help us when it comes to cravings (like those post-breakup moments where a character is into a carton of ice cream).
• It changes the balance of ghrelin and leptin. Known as the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin stimulates our appetite, while its counterpart, leptin, tells our brain when we’ve had enough. Stress has been shown to increase ghrelin levels, making overeating even more likely.
• It disrupts digestion. Hormones such as epinephrine bind to receptors in the GI tract, causing digestive problems that can manifest as diarrhea or constipation. Moreover, it throws a wrench in nutrient absorption and leaves us feeling tired, depleted, and more likely to overeat. 
• It disrupts our sleep. Lack of sleep tends to awaken the “hunger monster” ghrelin even more, leaving us that much more ravenous. Moreover, sleep deprivation messes with insulin sensitivity, leading to more fat storage — a perfect storm for weight gain.
• It saps our energy reserves, making it harder to exercise. Ever tried to squeeze in a morning jog or hop on the treadmill after a grueling day at work followed by a sleepless night? Stress can make us feel like we’re running on empty, making it less likely that we’ll run to stay in shape.

Stress aside, alcohol itself also leads to weight gain. Let’s take a closer look.

Alcohol and Weight Gain

Just as stress can cause the scale to go up, so can alcohol. For a deep dive, check out “The Link Between Alcohol and Unwanted Weight Gain.” For now, here’s the gist:

• Those empty calories add up. One gram of pure alcohol contains seven calories — second only to fats. Even worse, those calories are “empty,” devoid of actual nutrients our body can use to make us healthier. And they add up! Check out “How Many Calories Are in Alcoholic Beverages?” to see how a couple beers or one mixed drink can easily set you back the same amount as a large slice of pizza or a bowl of nachos.
• We’re more likely to throw caution to the wind. We don’t always make the best choices under the influence, and food choices are no different.
• Alcohol boosts the hunger hormone ghrelin. Ever get a craving for pizza or pad thai at 2 a.m. after a boozy night? Even if we don’t remember what we ate the next morning, our body does.
• Alcohol causes sugar cravings. Both alcohol and sugar trigger dopamine release, and together those cravings tend to be even stronger.
• Drinking messes with our metabolism. Regardless of what we eat, drinking makes weight gain more likely by interfering with our metabolism. Our body sees booze as a poison and prioritizes its digestion. With alcohol cutting in line, metabolism of other nutrients gets placed on the back burner, making it more likely that they’ll get stored as fat. 
• Alcohol messes with our sleep cycles. While booze might make us doze off initially, alcohol isn’t the sleep solution many of us believe it to be. By sending us right into deep sleep, it robs us of the restorative powers of the REM sleep cycles. Moreover, our sleep tends to be fragmented in the second half of the night as the brain attempts to counteract the depressant effects of alcohol. We wake up groggy, and our ghrelin levels shoot up, leading us right to the fridge when we wake up. And chances are that leftover piece of cake will look better than the bottle of kale juice next to it.

Now let’s see how the combination of alcohol and stress creates a vicious cycle that becomes a double-whammy for our waistline.

When Stress and Alcohol Team Up

Stress and alcohol both contribute to weight gain on their own, but what happens when they join forces? Double trouble. To learn more, check out “Why Cutting Alcohol Equals Weight Loss.” For now, here’s the gist:

• Alcohol creates more stress. Contrary to what we might have believed in the past, alcohol doesn’t relieve stress — it actually causes it by boosting cortisol levels and overtaxing our body’s resources.
• We get even hungrier. With alcohol and stress messing with our hormones, we end up feeling more ravenous than ever.
• We get even less sleep. Stress and alcohol team up to rob us of that much-needed time for restoration.
• Our sugar cravings amp up. With booze and stress setting us after that dopamine hit, our cravings for calorie-rich foods skyrocket.

The result? A vicious cycle is set in motion. Stress leads to drinking, which adds to our already poor sleep, increased anxiety, disruptions in hunger hormones, and an increased appetite the next day. These shifts, in turn, set the stage for weight gain, which only increases stress, creating a negative feedback loop and perpetuating the cycle. Yikes!

Stress-Busting Strategies

How can we make stress, alcohol, and the unwanted pounds that we pack on as a result a thing of the past? There are several science-backed ways that can help you relax and steer clear of booze. Get ready to fit into those pants!

• Find your relaxation response “switch.” The key to getting out of fight-or-flight mode is triggering the body’s natural relaxation response — one that sets in when the parasympathetic nervous system runs the show. Techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, tai chi, and visualization have been scientifically proven to work. For example, researchers from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital found that teaching patients with hypertension relaxation techniques allowed over half of them to reduce their blood pressure medication within a relatively short eight weeks. 
• Get an exercise routine going. Science says that exercise releases endorphins and dopamine while lowering cortisol levels. And since cortisol and weight gain go hand-in-hand, you can probably guess what happens next. Our stress goes down and our cravings for comfort foods and alcohol alike naturally decrease.
• Track your intake. Tracking both food and alcohol intake is a science-backed way to make change easier. It’s all about increasing awareness without judgment — you’re a scientist taking “lab notes” that will help you learn what your patterns and triggers are.
• Revamp your diet. You know how they say “you are what you eat”? It’s true! Load up on whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats (such as ones in salmon and avocados) and lots of fruits and veggies. A nutrient-rich diet will help your body repair the damage and restore nutrient deficiencies that both stress and alcohol leave in their aftermath. Make sure to include antioxidants to decrease inflammation, tryptophan-rich foods to synthesize dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin, and fermented foods to restore gut microbiota balance.
• Get enough sleep. Establish a regular sleep routine and create a relaxing bedtime ritual. Avoid caffeine and electronic devices before bed. Quality sleep regulates hormones that control hunger and appetite. It also reduces stress and improves overall mental and physical health.

And remember, Reframe is here to help you every step of the way! Our vibrant community of like-minded users who’ve been where you are is a great place to share stories, advice, and encouragement. And our science-backed tools for changing your relationship with alcohol and reducing stress will make the journey to a happier, healthier version of yourself easy, sustainable, and fun!