If you spend a large part of the day working on a computer, chances are that you have had unexplained cravings for sweets in the middle of your work making you jump at the biscuits your colleague offered.
If you are one of those who needs their daily dose of sugar in the form of aerated drinks, chewing gums, bar of chocolates and biscuits, then you need to know that apparently working excessively on a computer, including staring at the screen for a long time, creates a craving for sweet treats like chocolate and biscuits.
Experts at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm say that the mental stress of computer work triggers changes in blood sugar and hormone levels that trick the brain into thinking it has worked off lots of calories that need to be replaced. Watching television has the same effect.
Rabia Kochar, a professional, spends nearly nine hours on a computer on weekdays and three hours over the weekend. She says, “Yes, I do feel like eating sweets especially when I am doing high stress work and end up having a bar of 5-star. I have chocolate biscuits everyday as a snack in office.”
And Medha Suri says that now she knows why she eats so much. The media professional, adds, “It happens to me all the time. I keep visiting the tuck shop to get my fill and I have this craving after every few minutes. I didn’t know it was because of working on the computer. In fact, my colleagues and I would ping each other on the IM and plan a visit to the tuck shop.”
Interestingly, men differ on this count. They do have cravings, but it’s not for sweets like women, but smoking and eating rolls and burgers.
“I do feel hungry when I am working on the computer, but it’s not about eating sweets. I prefer to eat a burger or rolls. However, I do see my female colleagues munching on chocolates and biscuits at odd hours,” says Mohd. Ali, who works with Thomson Reuters.
The urge may also be triggered by what kind of group you belong to at work. Very often, even if one is not in the habit of eating in between meals, observing colleagues going out together to the canteen or coffee shop, motivates you too.
Ravinder Dahiya, senior manager, in an insurance company, says, “My teammates are seen eating all the time and I end up joining them. I try to order salads and juices more as I am on diet but so many of them offer chips and biscuits that it becomes difficult to resist. I thought they ate because they need a break from work. But I am surprised to know it isn’t so.”