If you’re more overwhelmed than you used to be…

>> Why Stress Can Feel So Different in Midlife

Many people notice that their stress tolerance changes over time. What once felt manageable can suddenly feel overwhelming — even when life doesn’t look dramatically different on the surface.

 This isn’t a personal failing. It’s often a physiological shift.

 HRV (heart rate variability - an indicator we measure during your progress reviews in the clinic) helps us understand how the nervous system balances between stress and recovery. But HRV isn’t influenced by stress alone — it’s shaped by sleep, emotions, physical load, illness, and hormones.

 For women in perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes play a significant role. Estrogen tends to support the calming side of the nervous system, while fluctuations in progesterone and declining estrogen can reduce that calming influence.

This means stress can feel more intense or unpredictable — even when you’re doing “all the right things.”

This phase of life often coincides with increased responsibility, especially if you fit the definition of the “sandwich generation”

·       caring for children or teenagers

·       supporting aging parents

·       managing work, relationships, and health

Your nervous system is adapting to all of that — and HRV reflects the load.

 Because the spine protects the nervous system, changes in spinal movement and posture can influence how adaptable your stress response feels. That’s why chiropractic care focuses on supporting nervous system communication, not just pain relief.

 These connections — between hormones, stress, movement, and recovery — are exactly what we’ll explore in more depth at our February Health Reset event.