3 Simple Tips For Women To Help Manage Occasional Stress

It’s no secret: women are dealing with more stress than ever. The pressure to juggle working during a pandemic, family schedules, menu planning, homeschooling, health, finances, and wellness, and do them all flawlessly, is taking its toll. Instead of feeling like superheroes, women often feel like they aren’t doing enough.

Although stress hits everyone, studies show that most women — 65% in fact — don’t feel that they successfully manage the stress in their lives.¹

And stress can take a toll on women’s physical and mental wellbeing. That’s where we come in. Our team at Solgar® has brought in the science behind stress and has simple, reliable formulas to support you so you can take a little bit of worry off your plate.

First thing’s first: not all stress is bad stress.

Not all stress is bad stress.

Eustress vs. distress

Eustress, or “good stress”, is short-term stress the body can usually handle. Overcoming good stress can give you increased resilience, motivation and inspiration. Eustress can come from life events like a win at work, buying a new car, or even watching a scary movie.

Distress, or “bad stress”, is more constant and long-term. This type can make it harder to focus, make decisions or feel like socializing. Events that can trigger distress include burnout, serious injury, or the passing of a loved one.

Both eustress and distress release cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone”, which affects every single process in your body. But distress may release too much of the stress hormone, and that’s when symptoms can become harder to manage.

Stress symptoms in women

You’re not yourself when you’re stressed. Stress can take a toll on both your physical and mental wellbeing. In fact, over 40% of women have reported physical or emotional symptoms due to stress.²

If you’ve been experiencing more stress than usual, keep an eye out for these symptoms:

Physical symptoms of stress in women

Irregular menstrual cycle

It can often feel like your menstrual cycle has a mind of its own. In reality, however, external factors such as occasionally stressful situations can affect its regularity. Basically, the hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls your period. When working correctly, your hypothalamus releases chemicals that stimulate the pituitary gland, which then stimulate your ovary to release the period-inducing hormones estrogen and progesterone. However, when faced with temporary stresses not related to chronic disease or illness, the cortisol your body releases can wreak havoc on the hypothalamus/pituitary/ovary interaction and result in irregular periods.³

Brain fog and lack of mental clarity

When faced with occasional stress, you may experience brain fog, which can make it harder to think clearly. As a result, once-easy decisions can take longer to make, and staying focused on a task may require more mental energy.

Headaches and body pain

When stressed, you may notice that you’re more likely to get headaches or sore muscles. This is because occasional stress can cause muscles to tense up. When tense, you may experience headaches and body pain.

Overactive nervous system

When you experience short-term stress the body is in “fight or flight mode,” and your nerves are constantly firing off signals and releasing surges of hormones. Typically, this ceases once the stressor goes away.

Digestive problems

Not only does occasional stress cause us to crave unhealthy foods, but it can also cause temporary bloating, gut issues and stomach pain to flare up.

Read more: How Stress Impacts Gut Health & Digestion

Emotional symptoms of stress in women

Your emotional and mental health is just as important as your physical health. Unfortunately, stress can also cause emotional changes in women, such as:

• Agitation
• Moodiness or irritability
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Loneliness

Stress support supplements for women

Solgar® Daily Stress Support

This plant-based formula uses clinically-studied Rhodiola, which supports the body’s ability to deal with stress*, and PANMOL® B-complex, which is produced from organic quinoa sprouts to support nervous system health and energy metabolism.*

Each serving:

• Builds your body’s resistance to stress*
• Aids in your ability to deal with mental and physical stress*
• Helps with occasional stress-related mental fatigue*
• Supports your ability to stay calm*
• Supports energy metabolism and nervous system health*

Solgar® Stress & Anxiety Relief

Solgar Stress & Anxiety Relief is made with KSM-66® Ashwagandha, the most clinically studied form of this herb and shown to help relieve occasional stress and anxiety*, as well as affron® Saffron, which helps maintain a positive mood and support emotional well-being.*

What can women do to manage stress?

1. Exercise regularly

Exercise is one of the best ways to cope with stress, and yet 35% of women say that they only exercise once a week or less (the reason often being that they are just too tired).⁴ We get it — when you get a moment to yourself, chances are you just want to relax and watch TV. However, making the decision to exercise anyway will benefit you immensely in the long run.

Exercise releases endorphins, which are linked to a positive mood. As your heart rate goes up and the body takes in more oxygen, circulation increases and blood pressure lowers. If stress clouds you with anxious thoughts, exercise can be a great time to take your mind off your troubles. While 20 minutes of exercise a day is recommended, every little bit counts!⁵

What supplements can women take to support exercise?

Solgar® B-Complex “100” Vegetable Capsules help maintain heart and nervous system health.* Women are more likely to be under the recommended daily intake of certain B-vitamins like B12, which this supplement can help to address.⁶

Solgar® Full Spectrum Curcumin Liquid Extract supports joint health.* It’s more bioavailable than regular curcumin, which is hard for the body to absorb.† It’s also easy to swallow and lasts longer than native curcumin extracts.*

Solgar® No. 7 Vegetable Capsules give you a fast-acting approach to ease the “wear and tear” brought on by exercise and sports.* One daily capsule helps with increased flexibility and mobility and improves joint comfort in just seven days.*

2. Build healthy sleep habits

An estimated 75% of women believe getting enough sleep is important, and yet only 33% are successful in their efforts to do so. When you’re stressed, your body needs sleep more than ever, and yet feeling stressed may inhibit the ability to get enough rest. Occasional sleeplessness may feed into the occasional stress you already have.

Focus on healthy sleep habits: setting a regular bedtime, switching electronics off an hour before bed and avoiding caffeine in the evening.

Read more: The Science Behind Sleeping When Stressed

What supplements can women take to support sleep?

Solgar® Sleep & Stress Support Vegetable Capsules are a melatonin-free form of sleep support, provided by a clinically-studied blend of herbs*, plus L-theanine. This supplement helps you feel calm and relaxed, fall asleep quicker, improve sleep quality and stay asleep throughout the night.*

3. Eat a healthy diet

If you find yourself raiding the pantry when you’re stressed, you’re not alone. One in two women have reported eating unhealthy food due to stress.⁷

Stress makes it easier to turn to low-nutrition energy sources containing caffeine and processed sugar. Both spike adrenaline, but sugar, in particular, has been linked to suppressing the part of your brain that feels stress.⁸ However, these effects are often short-lived and can affect digestive health.

Your diet can affect your mood — in fact, diet plays a large role in supporting gut bacteria, which are responsible for about 95% of the body’s serotonin production.⁹ Instead of overly processed foods, try eating more complex carbohydrates, including from fruits and vegetables, which take longer to digest, feeding gut bacteria and keep your energy levels constant. Foods like oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, or even popcorn are also great ways to add complex carbs to your diet.

What supplements can women take to support digestion?

Solgar® Probi® 20 Billion Vegetable Capsules deliver 20 billion active cultures to your gut every day, providing potent support for your digestive health.* Our patented strain supports optimal gut health while helping to alleviate occasional gas, bloating and abdominal discomfort.*

Solgar® Comfort Zone Digestive Complex Vegetable Capsules contain 11 plant and fermentation-based enzymes to support the body’s digestive process.* This complex helps break down hard-to-digest foods, which also means you can worry less about having the foods you enjoy.*

What multivitamin can women take for general health?

Solgar® Female Multiple Tablets are one of Solgar®’s premium-quality women’s health products. They contain vitamins C, D, B6, B12, niacin, folate, magnesium and more to provide multiple benefits for women.

Stressing the point

Stress is a natural part of life, but too much negative stress can take a toll on a woman’s health. Thankfully, there are many ways to manage occasional stress, as well as relevant supplements to take.

Here’s to a less-stressed you!

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

† These statements are based on a human study of NovaSOL® curcumin in comparison with native curcumin extract, using an object measure (metabolite analysis).

The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Solgar® site.