Sarah Sanchez NP 9/9/25 Sarah Sanchez NP 9/9/25

Stress, Hormones, and Finding Balance Through Holistic Care

Stress impacts everything from energy and sleep to mood and hormone balance. Learn how holistic care—including hormone optimization, nutrient support, and lifestyle strategies—can help you restore balance and feel renewed this season.

September often brings new routines, busier schedules, and seasonal changes. While this time of year can feel refreshing, it also places extra demands on our bodies and minds. When stress begins to build, it can affect everything from energy and sleep to mood and overall health.

At NP Empowered Wellness, we believe true healing comes from supporting both the body and mind. By addressing stress and hormonal balance together, we help our patients restore energy, improve mental clarity, and regain a sense of calm in their daily lives.

Understanding the Impact of Stress

Stress is a natural response designed to help us adapt to challenges. But when it becomes constant, it can disrupt nearly every system in the body. Signs of ongoing stress may include:

Low energy or persistent fatigue
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
Changes in mood, such as irritability or feeling overwhelmed
Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
Headaches, muscle tension, or digestive issues

Over time, unmanaged stress doesn’t just affect daily life—it can interfere with hormone balance, immunity, and long-term wellness.

The Stress–Hormone Connection

Hormones play a key role in how our bodies respond to stress. Cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” is released when we’re under pressure. In small bursts, it’s helpful—but when levels remain elevated, it can interfere with other hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

This imbalance may show up as disrupted sleep, shifts in mood, changes in metabolism, or increased fatigue. In transitional life stages, such as perimenopause, the effects of stress can feel even more noticeable. Supporting both stress recovery and hormone health helps break the cycle and restores balance.

Holistic Approaches to Stress Relief and Hormonal Balance

At NP Empowered Wellness, our integrative care focuses on whole-body healing. By combining evidence-based therapies with personalized lifestyle guidance, we help patients recover from the toll of stress and feel more resilient moving forward.

Hormone Optimization

Balancing hormones can reduce many of the disruptions caused by stress. Supporting healthy levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone may improve:

Sleep quality
Mental clarity and focus
Energy throughout the day
Emotional stability

Nutrient Support & IV Therapy

Stress depletes vital vitamins and minerals the body needs for repair and energy production. Nutrient therapy can help restore these reserves, strengthen immunity, and support overall wellness.

Peptide Therapy for Cellular Repair

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that signal the body to heal, repair, and regenerate. Certain peptides can support better sleep, improve stress resilience, and enhance recovery at the cellular level.

Lifestyle Support

Alongside medical therapies, simple lifestyle practices make a big difference in reducing stress. We often recommend:

Mindfulness or breathwork to calm the nervous system
Movement like yoga, walking, or strength training to release tension
Balanced nutrition to keep blood sugar stable and support hormone function
Consistent sleep habits to improve rest and recovery

Why Work with NP Empowered Wellness?

Our goal isn’t just to relieve symptoms—it’s to uncover the root causes of imbalance and create a plan that restores long-term health. Sarah Sanchez, APRN, FNP-C, brings over 20 years of medical experience and a deeply compassionate approach to each patient’s care.

Whether you’re experiencing stress-related symptoms, hormonal changes, or both, we work with you to:

Restore energy and focus
Improve sleep and emotional well-being
Rebalance hormones naturally
Strengthen resilience for the future

Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. We take the time to understand your unique story and create a care plan tailored to your needs.

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn’t have to take control of your health. With the right support, you can restore balance, feel more energized, and move through life’s transitions with confidence.

If you’re ready to explore a holistic approach to stress relief and hormone balance, we invite you to connect with NP Empowered Wellness. Together, we’ll design a personalized plan to help you feel renewed—inside and out.

✨ Schedule your consultation today and take the first step toward balance and empowered wellness.

Reference

McEwen BS. Stress, adaptation, and disease: Allostasis and allostatic load. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1998;840:33–44.
Chrousos GP. Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2009;5(7):374–381.
Kudielka BM, Kirschbaum C. Sex differences in HPA axis responses to stress: A review. Biological Psychology. 2005;69(1):113–132.
Santoro N, Epperson CN, Mathews SB. Menopausal symptoms and their management. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2015;44(3):497–515.
Varani J, Warner RL, Gharaee-Kermani M, et al. Vitamin and nutrient impact on skin and health: evidence and mechanisms. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020;9(2):398.

Sarah Sanchez NP 8/1/25 Sarah Sanchez NP 8/1/25

Understanding Progesterone in Perimenopause: What Every Woman Should Know

Whether you’re navigating irregular cycles, anxious nights, or just feel “off,” understanding progesterone could be the missing link in your wellness journey.

When women think of perimenopause, estrogen usually takes center stage. But for many, the earliest hormonal shifts actually start with progesterone—and understanding this decline is essential to managing symptoms and staying well through midlife.

As a nurse practitioner, I see every day how progesterone changes can profoundly impact sleep, mood, periods, and even how we handle stress. The good news? With growing research and awareness, women today have more tools than ever to understand and support their bodies during perimenopause.

What Is Progesterone?

Progesterone is a hormone made primarily by the ovaries after ovulation during the second half of the menstrual cycle. Its job is to balance estrogen, prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy, and support early pregnancy if conception occurs.

Without ovulation, you don’t make progesterone. That’s why, as ovulation becomes less regular in perimenopause, progesterone levels begin to fall. But its role doesn’t stop at fertility—progesterone affects nearly every tissue in the body, from the brain and bones to the heart and breasts.

Benefits of Progesterone

Beyond reproduction, progesterone offers many protective benefits:

● Calms the brain and nervous system

● Promotes restful sleep

● Eases anxiety and mood swings

● Reduces inflammation

● Balances the immune system

● Helps regulate metabolism and body temperature

● Supports bone and heart health

● Has anti-androgen effects (can help with acne, hair loss, etc.)

Having ovulatory cycles as long as possible helps maintain natural progesterone levels. It's important to note that hormonal birth control methods that suppress ovulation (like most pills) also suppress progesterone production.

How Progesterone Changes in Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the gradual transition toward menopause. It can last several years and is marked by hormonal changes that start with reduced progesterone. In the early stages, even while periods are still regular, you may start ovulating less often or produce less progesterone after ovulation.

This shift causes imbalances between estrogen and progesterone, often leading to the first noticeable symptoms. Eventually, cycles become anovulatory (no ovulation = no progesterone), and symptoms increase in frequency and intensity.

Symptoms of Low Progesterone

Many of the symptoms patients report during early perimenopause can be traced to low progesterone:

● Shorter cycles or short luteal phase

● Spotting before your period

● Prolonged or heavy periods

● Fertile cervical mucus at unusual times

● New or worsened PMS

● Insomnia or restless sleep (especially in the second half of the cycle) ● Heightened anxiety or depressive symptoms

● Worsening migraines

● Feeling less resilient to stress

● Difficulty conceiving or increased risk of early miscarriage

One key reason for these symptoms is progesterone’s calming effect on the brain. It stimulates GABA receptors—the same system targeted by anti-anxiety meds and sleep aids. So when progesterone drops, mood and sleep often suffer.

Supporting Progesterone in Perimenopause

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for menopause to get support. There are multiple strategies—natural and medical—that can help support progesterone and ease symptoms in perimenopause:

1. Work with a Provider Who Understands Perimenopause

At NP Empowered Wellness, we specialize in personalized hormone care. We listen closely, order comprehensive labs, and develop tailored plans that support your long-term health—not just mask symptoms.

2. Test Your Progesterone

If you’re still cycling, a progesterone test can be done about 5–7 days after ovulation (around day 21 of a 28-day cycle). We can use blood or urine testing to get a better picture of your hormone levels and metabolism.

3. Support GABA Naturally

Because progesterone interacts with GABA, you can support this calming pathway with supplements or herbs. Look for ingredients like passionflower, skullcap, lemon balm, or GABA itself in stress and sleep formulas.

4. Reduce Stress (Easier Said Than Done)

Chronic stress interferes with ovulation and hormone balance. Prioritize stress reduction—even small shifts like deep breathing, walking outside, or creative hobbies help. And remember: your body may respond to stress differently in perimenopause.

5. Focus on Sleep

Progesterone helps with sleep quality, so when it drops, rest can suffer. Good sleep hygiene, targeted supplements, and sometimes progesterone therapy can help you reclaim restful sleep.

6. Eat Foods that Support Hormone Balance

Some foods may contain phyto-progesterone compounds (plant-based substances that may support progesterone pathways), including:

● Arugula

● Watercress

● Spinach

● Parsley

● Celery

● Cilantro

● Citrus fruits

While more research is needed, including these in your diet certainly supports overall hormone health.

7. Try Herbal Support

Vitex (Chasteberry) is an herb shown to support luteal phase health and relieve PMS and sleep disturbances. It’s well-studied and generally safe, but it’s best to talk to your provider before starting any supplement.

8. Consider Bioidentical Progesterone Therapy

Bioidentical progesterone—especially oral micronized progesterone—can be a safe, effective way to support hormone balance. It’s not the same as synthetic progestins, which may carry different risks and don’t offer the same brain and sleep benefits.

Takeaway: You Don’t Have to Suffer Through It

Progesterone decline is one of the first hormonal shifts in perimenopause, and it often flies under the radar. If you’re experiencing changes in your periods, mood, sleep, or stress levels—it’s not “just getting older.” Your hormones are shifting, and there is help.

At NP Empowered Wellness, we take a compassionate, evidence-based approach to hormone care. You’ll receive the guidance and support you need to navigate this life stage feeling informed, empowered, and cared for.

Ready to get support for perimenopause?

Let’s build a personalized plan that meets you where you are. Schedule a consult today!