The Hidden Stress of the Holidays and Its Impact on Women’s Pelvic Health

The holiday season brings with it a range of emotions, from joy to gratitude. It can also lead to stress, and that can and does have an impact on your pelvic health.

You may not realize the hidden results of holiday stress, which creep up on you and affect you in a variety of ways. Stress hormones, heavier meals, alcohol, disrupted sleep, and less physical activity can all influence pelvic health, leading to symptoms such as urinary incontinence, bloating, or pelvic tension.

Holiday Stress and Pelvic Wellness

The holidays are often celebrated as a joyful season filled with family, traditions, and gatherings. But for many women, December also brings higher levels of stress that quietly affect the body in surprising ways. 

This article by the Pelvic Awareness Project explores the connection between seasonal stress and pelvic wellness, offering practical strategies women can use to protect their health during the winter holidays. From incorporating mindful moments and supporting the pelvic floor, readers will understand the impacts of stress, and learn how to enjoy the season with greater comfort and confidence.

Why the Holidays Are Stressful

December brings with it anticipation of time off work for many of us, extra time with family, get-togethers with friends, and the many joyful traditions that go along with the holiday season. 

What’s not always talked about is why the holidays are stressful. Some studies show that nearly half of all women in the United States face increased stress during the holidays, which puts their physical and mental health at risk.1 

Factors like extra family responsibilities that come from planning for holiday gatherings, while still juggling work responsibilities, increase the pressure at an already busy time. Add in shopping for gifts, holiday baking and cooking, and many women find it difficult to relax.1

As well, women in general report a higher average level of stress than men, and biological factors like hormones may also lead to different experiences of stress between men and women.2

Holiday Stress and Pelvic Health

The increased stress during the holidays may result in a variety of physical and emotional symptoms, like headaches, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and lack of focus, to name a few.2

Stress also has an impact on your bladder and your pelvic floor health, making conditions like stress urinary incontinence worse over the holidays. 

That’s because the pelvic floor and the nervous system are closely connected. The pelvic floor is the set of muscles and ligaments that support our pelvic organs, and play a role in bodily functions like peeing. The muscles hold urine in until you get to the bathroom, then contract to empty the bladder when it’s appropriate.

The Importance of Your Pelvic Floor

But the pelvic floor is more than just a set of muscles. It’s also intertwined with your nervous and hormonal systems. Your sympathetic nervous system is triggered when experiencing stress, which can lead to increased muscle tension throughout the body, particularly in the pelvic area.3

Chronic stress can then weaken the pelvic floor, which impacts the muscle coordination that plays a role in bladder control. In turn, you may find increased symptoms of urgency, frequency, or even stress incontinence. 

Research has found that people who report higher levels of stress are also more likely to experience overactive bladder symptoms.3 As well, many patients who struggle with anxiety and depression also struggle with incontinence.4 

This can lead to a vicious cycle: stress increases bladder problems, and bladder problems add to levels of stress.3

Are you wondering if your pelvic floor is healthy? Find out by taking a few minutes to complete the Pelvic Awareness Project’s pelvic floor health quiz.

Is Stress Affecting My Bladder?

You may notice signs of stress over the holiday season. But is holiday stress having an impact on your bladder?

Here are some common signs that stress is taking its toll on your pelvic health:3

• The sudden urge to urinate when you’re feeling stressed.
• Going to the bathroom more frequently.
• Difficulty fully emptying your bladder.
• Pelvic discomfort or heaviness that gets worse in stressful situations. 
• Waking up at night to use the bathroom more than usual.
• Leaking urine when laughing, sneezing, or exercising.

Holiday Health Tips

It’s hard to stay in a routine over the holidays, but it’s important to find ways to maintain healthy practices and incorporate new ones into your daily regimen. Exercise, healthy eating, and proper rest are all health tips you’re used to hearing about.

If you’re looking for new stress reduction techniques, then yoga, meditation, or guided breathing may interest you.

Your pelvic floor deserves a healthy routine as well. Pelvic floor muscles exercises are an important addition to any woman’s daily schedule, and since they’re easy to do anywhere, they can easily be incorporated over the holidays.

Pelvic Floor Muscles Exercises

Also known as Kegels, these exercises involve contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. The goal is to keep them strong, or to strengthen them, to prevent pelvic floor dysfunction like stress urinary incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse, for example. 

Here’s how to perform Kegels:

1. Contract the pelvic floor muscles, which is similar to when you prevent gas from passing or when you stop the flow of urine. This creates a “pulling” feeling in your vaginal or rectal area.
2. Hold the contraction for three seconds, followed by fully relaxing the muscles for three seconds. 
3. Work up to 10 to 15 repetitions each time you do Kegels. 
4. Try to perform them three times a day: once sitting, once standing, and once lying down. 

Want to know more about the importance of keeping your pelvic floor in top shape? Read this review of why the pelvic floor matters for women’s health.  

Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

If you’ve noticed an increase in symptoms like stress incontinence, or other bladder or pelvic issues, seek diagnosis and treatment, even during the busy holiday season. The Pelvic Awareness Project connects women to trusted providers who specialize in pelvic health. 

Find a pelvic health doctor near you with our Physician Finder Tool.

References

1- https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2006/12/women-stress

2- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/5545-women-and-stress

3- https://www.calderamedical.com/pt/how-stress-affects-bladder-control-pelvic-floor-health/#:~:text=Signs%20That%20Stress%20Is%20Affecting,when%20laughing%2C%20sneezing%2C%20or%20exercising

4- https://nafc.org/bhealth-blog/the-surprising-effects-of-stress-on-your-bladder/#:~:text=However%2C%20there%20are%20also%20links,already%20dealing%20with%20bladder%20incontinence.