The increased desire for sweets is no coincidence: U.S. researchers recently found that the stress hormone CRH (corticotropin releasing hormone) is increasingly released during nervous exertion. This cranks up the craving for sugar threefold. Gummy bears, marshmallows and especially chocolate then seem to be the best remedy, as they promise a welcome distraction from the stress of learning.
The number one comforting ingredient in particular ensures that the neurotransmitter serotonin is released in the brain, which creates a good mood. The bottom line: the stresses and strains of learning suddenly seem only half as bad through the chocolate-brown glasses. But there’s a catch: the positive effect of the treat only lasts for a short time. Sweets cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket, temporarily boosting the performance curve. After that, however, the level drops again just as quickly – and you reach for the next bar.
It is not uncommon for this little comfort food to turn into a real nutritional problem, because the delicacies remain stubbornly on the hips and are difficult to get rid of. In addition, they can cause tooth decay, diabetes or cardiovascular diseases – a high price for the little diversion in between.
Learning to deal with tension
Many students observe that they eat more and, above all, unhealthier than usual during exam times. For example, Sandra L.: “I always gain two to three kilos when I’m studying, because then I basically only eat noodles and sweets – the kilos then have to come off again afterwards.”
Since there often seems to be no time for sports during hectic phases, many people torture themselves afterwards with one of the countless diets. The problem: Without changing anything fundamental, they put on weight again in the next stress phase. Stress eating is the result of a hormonal chain reaction triggered by mental tension.
In other words, eating is only a symptom; the real cause arises in the mind. “For this reason, it is not enough to go on a diet afterwards,” explains psychologist Frank Meiners from the DAK. “You may achieve short-term success with that, but you’ll be facing the same problem again the next time you take an exam.” So what to do to avoid becoming a stress eater? First of all, more intensive self-observation is necessary. Who notices itself that it reaches in hectic times increased to sweets, should initiate urgently countermeasures. Above all, the DAK expert advises improved stress management: “If you learn to cope better with tension, you won’t fall into the eating trap in the first place.”
