Eating disorder is one of the
health problems that many people experience nowadays. Insufficient and
irregular functioning of hormones, mental fatigue, and psychological traumas
are among the important reasons that lead a person to an eating disorder.
Eating disorder increases the risk of obesity, so it needs to be treated. You
can find the details you wonder about emotional eating disorders in the
rest of our content.
Emotional eating is the problem
of turning to food intake due to emotions without any hunger feeling. This is a
sudden hunger feeling that arises in response to emotion without feeling any
physical hunger. Emotional eating disorder is initially a psychological
disorder, but if left untreated, it can lead to obesity in the long run.
What is Emotional Eating?
Emotional eating is a type of eating disorder in which
a person exhibits excessive eating behavior to manage their emotional states.
Individuals with emotional eating disorders often tend to eat to cope with
negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. However,
they may also overeat occasionally due to positive emotions like happiness and
joy.
Individuals with emotional eating disorders tend to
prefer high-calorie foods that can lead to weight gain and long-term health
problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
What Causes Emotional Eating?
The causes of emotional eating disorder are
not yet fully understood, but it is believed to be the result of several
factors coming together. Emotional eating disorder is often associated with the
emergence of stressful or challenging emotions. Psychological traumas can lead
to emotional eating and negatively impact a person's eating habits. This
disorder may begin with a person turning to food to feel better about
themselves and eventually becoming an uncontrollable urge.
What are the Symptoms of Emotional Eating Disorder?
Emotional eating disorder is characterized by an
increase in eating behavior when a person is emotionally distressed or under
stress. The symptoms of emotional eating can be listed as follows:
•
Someone with emotional eating disorder may suddenly
feel hungry and eat excessively in an uncontrolled way.
•
The person may feel guilty and ashamed after binge
eating episodes.
•
The person may crave food when feeling stressed or
tense, even when not hungry.
•
The disorder may cause the person to eat frequently
beyond regular mealtimes.
•
Someone with emotional eating disorder tends to eat more
often as a way of coping with emotional difficulties.
•
Rapid and excessive eating is another symptom of
emotional eating disorder.
Tips for Coping with Emotional Eating Disorder
Emotional eating disorder is one of the most common
eating disorders that can negatively affect a person's health. To cope with
this disorder, you can apply the following tips:
•
Regulate your eating habits.
•
Pay attention to when you feel the need to eat in
response to certain emotions.
•
Try to understand the relationship between your
emotions and eating.
•
Practice mindful eating.
•
Try to enjoy your food while eating rather than eating
quickly.
•
Seek professional help.
How is Emotional Eating Treated?
Emotional eating can lead to health problems such as
obesity, diabetes, heart, and vascular diseases in the long run. Therefore, it
is necessary to seek professional help to resolve this problem as soon as
possible.
Emotional eating disorder is often treated by a
therapist or psychologist. Therapy can help the person develop skills for managing
their emotions and planning a diet and exercise program.
