Get More Sleep to Manage Workplace Food Cravings

Between meal hunger has become a silent force that drives many people to overeating. If you’ve let your guard down, you may not be identifying the difference between true hunger and eating because you are bored. Getting up and living each day is enough to create uncomfortable feelings.

Like a variety of emotions, boredom can trigger a sudden urge for food, so it is important to figure out how to manage boredom eating. Understanding your body’s needs, instead of blindly covering up negative feelings, will make food choices easier whether you’re at work, on the road, or home alone.

Avoid snacking because there is not much else to do…

Boredom eating from time to time can be completely normal. It is nothing to worry about unless you have health implications like unwanted weight gain. Listed are some strategies for better managing the boredom that maybe driving your food cravings:

• Brush Your Teeth – Brushing your teeth at the first sign of hunger, it will make anything you do decide to eat to taste funny. Although it sounds like a simple idea, it really works especially after your lunch or dinner meals.
• Get More Sleep – A good night’s sleep is not only crucial to keeping you feeling and looking your best, but it will also help you control mid-afternoon food cravings and pesky urges to snack.
• Be a Mindful Eater – Taking the time to enjoy you snack will give you a fonder appreciation for your food choices. Mindful eating allows you to avoid blacking out from needlessly stuffing your face with food.
• Drink Enough Water – The easiest way to know if you’re hydrating properly is to look at the color of your urine. If you are drinking enough water, your urine will be pale yellow to nearly clear in color.

How to identify what is causing your boredom eating…

Processing your true feelings might seem a bit uncomfortable at first but it is a healthy exercise in mindfulness that serves an effective distraction to boredom eating. So, when you start to feel bored, stop and ask yourself why. If you think about having too much to do, it will likely translate into negative feelings like stress or boredom. However, when you stay busy with a purpose, you are much more likely to enjoy each day and live a happier life. There is a fine line between emotional eating and physical hunger. Sometimes, you eat when you are happy or celebrating, but often times you eat out of sheer boredom.

At Metabolic Research Center, we teach and encourage clients to focus on living a healthy life. The first step to managing boredom eating is to understand that it does not signify a lack of passion and can help you stay focused on the moment.