The Worst Time Of Day You Can Stress Eat

No matter how hard we try to keep ourselves in check, stress-eating is a very real thing. Studies show that, especially those who work in offices, are most likely to reach for the treats closest to the end of their work day. It's that stressed-out-almost-end-of-day energy being put in to snacking.

This new study looked at how stress affected hunger in a group of adults and found that weekday stress peaked most often in the late afternoon. Although researchers aren't one hundred percent certain of what the exact link between food cravings and that time of day are,  prior research suggests feeling work burnout can lead to emotional or uncontrolled eating habits. If this is you, reaching for something to snack in this situation can become a frequent coping mechanism.

So what do you do to avoid this? Try packing your own healthy snacks so you aren't tempted by vending machines or unhealthy office snacks. You can also try scheduling a workout for right after your work day (Sweating it out after a mars bar or a bag of chips doesn't feel so good on the stomach) to try and keep you focused on your goals.

Stress cravings are inevitable. Plan ahead to save your growling stomach from reaching for something that will ruin your progress.