Stress is something we’ve all felt—it’s a normal part of life. It’s your body’s way of helping you handle challenges. But stress doesn’t just affect your mind—it also impacts your whole body.

From headaches and trouble sleeping to stomach issues like diarrhea, stress causes many symptoms. And one of the most frustrating side effects? Weight gain.

If you’ve ever felt like stress makes you crave late-night snacks or too tired to stay healthy, you’re not imagining it.

I used to think I was just making excuses when I grabbed comfort food during hard times. But stress can actually affect the number on the scale.

Stress doesn’t just affect your weight — it also directly damages your memory.

Neuroscientists recently discovered that chronic stress suppresses a special “memory-enhancing” brainwave — the same one responsible for fast learning, focus, and strong recall.

Kids naturally have this brainwave active almost all the time. But in adults? Only 3% still show strong activity.

That’s why stress makes you forgetful, unfocused, mentally tired, and constantly overwhelmed.

The good news?

Dr. Johnson has found a way to restore and activate this hidden brainwave, even if you’ve been living under stress for years. And he does it on a cognitive level — without medication, complicated routines, or long meditation practices.

He breaks down exactly how to unlock this brainwave and regain “supermemory power,” no matter your age:

👉 WATCH NOW: The Secret Brainwave That Unlocks “Supermemory Power” (Works at Any Age)

Stress prepares your body to deal with a challenge or threat. It’s like an alarm system that triggers your “fight or flight” response. This helps you react fast.

When this happens, your brain releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

In small doses, this is helpful. It helps you meet work deadlines or react quickly in traffic. Once the stress passes, your body returns to normal, and your hormones stabilize.

But here’s the problem: life’s problems aren’t always short-term.

When stress becomes chronic—from money problems, a difficult relationship, or health issues—your body remains in high-alert mode. 

This can disrupt important body functions like metabolism and fat storage, leading to unwanted weight changes.

When stress lasts too long, cortisol levels stay high. This tells your body to store fat and conserve energy instead of burning calories. 

Over time, high cortisol can also lead to insulin resistance. This means your body doesn’t use glucose properly. Instead of fueling your cells, sugar stays in the bloodstream.

Because your brain and muscles feel “starved” of energy, you feel sluggish and tired, even when you’ve eaten enough.

I can’t count how many times I felt completely drained despite eating well. Now I realize this could be why.

The excess sugar in your body eventually turns into fat, which gets stored around your belly and internal organs. And because insulin resistance makes it harder to burn fat, your body keeps storing fat instead of using it for energy.

High cortisol and insulin levels increase cravings for sugary and fatty foods—aka “comfort foods.”

These foods temporarily relieve stress by activating the brain’s reward system. But the relief doesn’t last. 

Stress affects your hunger hormones. Ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” rises during stress, making you feel hungrier. Leptin, the fullness hormone, drops, so you don’t feel satisfied. 

Lack of sleep makes this even worse. It throws off ghrelin and leptin levels, making late-night snacking more likely.

And let’s not forget how stress drains your energy. 

Stress makes you less active. So if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling social media, it’s your brain seeking a quick dopamine hit.

While weight gain might be the most visible effect of stress, it’s far from the only consequence. 

If you’re focused on losing weight, every effort you make will only be a band aid solution unless you address the root causes of your stress. 

Sure, you might see short-term results, but the toll stress takes on your body will only grow over time. 

Prioritize managing and resolving your stress is the key to achieving not just weight loss, but long-term health and balance.