De-Stress

How Stress Affects Your Energy, Sleep, and Weight After 40 (And What You Can Do About It)

How Stress Affects Your Energy, Sleep, and Weight After 40 (And What You Can Do About It)

If you're a woman over 40 who's feeling exhausted, waking up tired, struggling with your weight, or simply feeling like you don't feel like yourself anymore, you're not alone.

Some of the most common things I hear from women in their 40s and 50s are:

  • "I'm exhausted and have no energy."

  • "I don't sleep well or I wake up tired."

  • "I feel anxious, overwhelmed, or emotional."

  • "I don't feel like myself anymore."

  • "I'm trying so hard, but nothing seems to be working."

Interestingly, very few women tell me, "I'm stressed." Instead, they describe the symptoms that chronic stress can create: fatigue, poor sleep, cravings, mood changes, digestive issues, difficulty losing weight, and feeling overwhelmed by everyday life.

As someone who experienced spine surgery followed by complications, including a cerebellar stroke, I've also seen firsthand how deeply stress can affect our health. During my recovery, I noticed that stressful medical appointments could affect my sleep, emotions, and energy for days afterward. Trying to push through fatigue or ignore what my body was telling me only made things worse.

That experience reinforced something I've seen time and time again with my clients: our bodies don't compartmentalize stress. Stress affects everything.

The good news is that stress itself isn't the problem. Stress is a normal part of life, and we can't eliminate it entirely. The challenge comes when our brains and bodies don't have the support they need to recover from it.

For many women over 40, chronic stress doesn't always feel like "stress." Instead, it can show up as low energy, poor sleep, cravings, difficulty losing weight, digestive issues, and feeling overwhelmed by everyday life. Understanding how stress affects your body is the first step toward supporting your health and feeling more like yourself again.

By supporting our health through nourishment, movement, sleep, and mindset, we can improve how our bodies respond to stress and help ourselves feel more energized, resilient, and well.

Let's take a closer look at how stress affects women over 40 and what we can do to support our health naturally.

Feeling Stressed, Overwhelmed, or Exhausted? What Your Body May Be Trying to Tell You

Feeling Stressed, Overwhelmed, or Exhausted? What Your Body May Be Trying to Tell You

Stress has become such a common part of life that many of us barely question it anymore. We say we are stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, or burned out almost interchangeably. But these experiences are not the same. Understanding the difference matters because each one asks your body for a different kind of support.

Over the past few years, I have become especially aware of how much stress affects the body. Since my cerebellar stroke, I have had to pay close attention to how my body responds to pressure, fatigue, and busy periods of life. Between medical appointments and the ups and downs that can come with stroke recovery, I have learned that when my stress levels climb, I feel it quickly. My headaches can worsen, my digestion can become unsettled, and my energy drops. Managing stress is no longer optional for me. It is something I have to stay aware of so that I can protect my health and energy.

I see a different version of this same pattern with many of the women I work with. Most of my clients are in their 40s and 50s and are balancing demanding careers with family life and personal responsibilities. Many work in fields like accounting, human resources, management, or other professional roles that require long hours, constant problem solving, and a lot of responsibility. They care deeply about doing their jobs well and showing up for the people in their lives.

What often happens is that the stress of the workday does not stay at the office. It follows them home. When stress continues day after day, it can begin to spill into other areas of life. Cooking a healthy meal feels like too much effort. Exercise gets pushed aside. Sleep becomes restless. Over time, that ongoing stress can turn into overwhelm, where everything starts to feel like too much. If it continues long enough without relief, it can eventually lead to burnout and deep exhaustion.

This is why it is so important to understand the difference between stress, overwhelm, and burnout. They are connected, but they are not identical. Each one is a signal from your body and mind that something needs attention. When you recognize which stage you are experiencing, you can respond in a way that actually supports your health and helps you regain your energy.

Let’s take a closer look at what each one really means.

Understanding Stress and Its Impact on Your Body

Understanding Stress and Its Impact on Your Body

Stress does not always look the same. Sometimes it shows up as acute stress, the big and obvious kind that launches you straight into fight or flight, like a looming deadline, an argument, or a sudden crisis. Other times it shows up as chronic stress, the quieter version that builds slowly through the daily grind. Things like overscheduling, skipping meals, or constant notifications may not feel serious in the moment, but over time they add up and keep your body running in overdrive.

Both acute stress and chronic stress affect your nervous system. Acute stress pushes your body into survival mode temporarily, while chronic stress keeps you stuck there longer than it should. That is when digestion, sleep, energy, and even your immune system begin to suffer. The tricky part is that chronic stress often blends into your normal, making it hard to notice until your health starts sending signals.

Understanding this difference is the first step. Once you see how stress shows up, both in dramatic moments and in quieter daily habits, you can begin to guide your body back into balance.

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Ways to De-Stress During the Workday

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Ways to De-Stress During the Workday

Work can be one of the most stressful places we spend time. Especially now, in the middle of a pandemic, with jobs that have had to change to adapt to the times. As we are picking up the slack and transitioning back and forth between home and the office, it will be a lot for anyone to handle. This is why prioritizing mental health and being vigilant about keeping stress at bay is so important.

I have five tried and true tricks up my sleeve to keep stress low and spirits high.

 
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