Reduce stress

Stress has an impact on hormone levels and can increase cortisol production. A hormone called cortisol helps in controlling appetite. This sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, temporarily pausing regular bodily functions and slowing your metabolism. Researchers discovered unusually high cortisol levels in persons with disordered eating in 2011.

Stress causes the body to release cortisol. The authors of a small study published in 2020, however, found no proof of a connection between anxiety and resting metabolic rate. Chronic stress lowers metabolism due to the loss of precious calorie-burning muscle and increases your appetite and desire for unhealthy foods, and it may also cause an increase in body fat and belly size. Stress may also have an indirect effect by changing sleeping and eating habits, both of which can change how quickly the metabolism functions.