Exhaustion and Work Fatigue Could be Impacting your Waistline

According to a new study recently published in the Journal of Health Psychology, feeling overworked or burnt out can lead to adults adopting unhealthy behaviors that can lead them to pack on the pounds, Healthline reports.

Researchers at the University of Georgia questioned 1,000 full-time employed men and women about their workloads and feelings of exhaustion or burnout, as well as their eating and exercise habits. They found both employees with more demanding workloads and those who reported burnout were both more likely to engage in emotional eating, eating without stopping, and consuming foods that have more fat. They also found the latter exercised less, which compounds weight gain.

“It makes perfect sense that chronic stress from work manifests in negative health behaviors and habits,” clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly said. “When it comes to diet and exercise habits, the overstressed employee may simply be so depleted by work that the mind unconsciously or consciously says ‘Hey, I’m exhausted. I know I should exercise and eat right, but I just don’t have the time nor energy.’ When this cycle is repeated, strong neural pathways are formed, and the habitual unhealthy behaviors become the norm.”

Check out Healthline for tips and tricks to combat burnout – it just may save your waistline!