How your job can make you overeat

Does hating your job increase your risk of excessive sugary carb consumption, a.k.a. death by Timbit? It seems so, particularly among women.

According to the results of a small Finnish study (via The Daily Mail), women who reported feeling burned out at work often compensated for that emotional fatigue by overdoing it at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drew on a clinical trial that saw more than 225 women between the ages of 30 to 55 offer their personal experiences related to job stress and eating habits with researchers. Of the women who participated, roughly one quarter reported some aspect of career-related fatigue. These weary women also showed a greater tendency to engage in both emotional eating and uncontrolled or binge eating.

The study’s lead author Nina Nevanpera, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, stated: “Those experiencing burnout may be more vulnerable to emotional eating and uncontrolled eating and have a hindered ability to make changes in their eating behavior.”

Interestingly, these same women weren’t necessarily overweight as a result of their reliance on food to make them feel better after or during work. But their overeating is seen as a symptom of their overall need for a break from the stress of their lives.

The findings indicate that the greater problem for many women may not be overeating but stress. If an individual is overeating it may in fact be a symptom of work fatigue that needs to be dealt with rather than a diet issue. The study, therefore offers a means of diagnosing work burnout as well as a need to learn how to integrate more effective stress relieving activities.