Why Sleep Matters

3 Ways Anxiety Negatively Affects Women’s Health

Did you know that “Anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States, and that women are more than twice as likely as men to get an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.”

Here are 3 Ways that Anxiety Affects Women’s Health

Sleep and Focus

Women who suffer from anxiety often have difficulty falling asleep due to worrisome thoughts. Approximately 54 percent of women say stress and anxiety influence their ability to drift off to sleep.  Also, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, more than 40 percent of women have difficulty focusing the next day due to lack of sleep.

Weakened Immunity

Exposure to stress can take a negative toll on a woman’s immune system, causing our digestive function to become suppressed due to our body’s “fight or flight” reaction. Studies have also found that when you’re stressed, you’re more susceptible to colds, infections, and inflammation.  

Digestive Issues  

When women are plagued with constant stress and fatigue, it affects their digestive systems. Chronic anxiety can also have long-term effects on the intestines, thus affecting the nutrients in our food from being properly absorbed.  Digestive issues can also lead to reflux, bloating, diarrhea, Irritable Bowl Syndrome, and other bowel related issues.

I think stress and anxiety contribute to a lot of our health issues, and I’d love to open up this topic for discussion to hear what you all feel health wise when your anxiety is through the roof.  What can we do as women to help each other alleviate these issues for ourselves.  

I get that we can offer up suggestions like taking a yoga class, going out to dinner with friends, drinking a glass of wine, or enjoying a cocktail,  but let’s dig deeper than this.  For me, trying to get to a yoga class at a certain time, or dinner with a girlfriend when I have 4 kids and a job actually causes me anxiety. Let’s peel back the onion to see what we can do without leaving our home to dial down our stressors.  I’m a big fan of deep breathing, home organization to avoid clutter and confusion, and in not over scheduling myself.  

I want to hear from you…….what do you ladies do to de-stress?  Let’s band together and help each other.