The Pinterest-perfect montage of twinkling lights and velvet-wrapped ornaments usually comes with a not-so-Instagrammable side of bottomless cookie trays, the colorful commentary of relatives you see once a year, and the stress of it all. Meanwhile, your workout routine and sleep schedule have taken an extended holiday of their own.
Even though the season puts the pressure on to feel merry, it’s totally normal if your mood isn’t exactly syncing with the “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” energy. Holiday stress is real—and our bodies feel it. The brain and body actually change during this time, influencing everything from hormone balance to digestion, with women feeling the shifts the most. So what are our bodies really up to beneath all the festive gatherings and seasonal changes? And how can we keep our bodies grounded and healthy through it all? Here’s what experts say.
What Happens to Our Bodies During the Holidays?
Dr. Bronwyn Holmes, MD, a board-certified physician and member of the Medical Advisory Board at Eden, says the holiday season creates a perfect storm of stress that brings about unique bodily responses. But it’s not all bad. Our hormones—from cortisol to dopamine and serotonin—all feel the strain of juggling both stress and good cheer. Knowing how those shifts play out can help us move through this time of year with more intention, protecting our mental and physical well-being without dimming the joy.
Read More: 12 Grounding Techniques to Calm Your Mind
Stress Hormones and the Nervous System
Between the financial demands, family dynamics, and trying to stay healthy, the holidays serve up major stress. While the body is designed to handle short bursts of stress, Dr. Holmes explains that it produces elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels when you experience prolonged stress: “Your nervous system maintains a constant state of heightened sympathetic activity when stress persists throughout the holiday season.” The result of being stuck in “fight-or-flight” mode? Your body diverts all of its energy to performing survival tasks instead of aiding digestion, immunity, and tissue repair.
Digestion
When stress kicks your body into the “fight-or-flight” response, it can throw the brain-gut communication out of whack. Digestion slows down so your body can focus on dealing with the perceived “threat.” And Dr. Holmes notes that with all the holiday extras—second helpings of pumpkin pie, spiked eggnogs, and late nights—your digestive system has a lot more on its plate and becomes less efficient. Cue the digestive drama.
Dr. Elisa Song, MD, a Stanford-, NYU-, and UCSF-trained integrative pediatrician and pediatric functional medicine expert, clarifies that stress can mess with your digestive system by affecting the enzymes that break down food, slowing the movement of food through the gut, and irritating the gut lining. “It’s no surprise that people often notice more bloating, reflux, or constipation during busy holiday weeks.”
Sleep
High levels of cortisol keep your body on high alert, the opposite of what you need to fall asleep. Layer on travel, social jet lag, and a few-too-many drinks, and your sleep takes an even bigger hit. “Sleep also plays a huge role in holiday resilience,” Dr. Song says. “When we don’t get enough sleep, cortisol rises, our microbiome becomes less balanced, and stress feels harder to manage. Because serotonin (the precursor to melatonin) is largely produced in the gut, disruptions to gut health can make it more difficult to maintain healthy sleep rhythms.”
And as Dr. Holmes points out, skimping on sleep means your body doesn’t get the chance to repair its cells. Without that overnight regeneration, your body falls behind on basic maintenance, leading to a not-so-festive lineup of side effects: low energy, brain fog, weaker immunity, and mood swings.
Immune Function
Ever notice how you seem to get sick as soon as the holidays are within sight? That’s no coincidence. “The combination of stress hormones, sleep pattern changes, and dietary variations creates an environment where your immune system becomes unbalanced,” Dr. Holmes says. “Your T-cell [a type of white blood cell that helps your immune system fight germs and protect you from disease] response weakens when you experience prolonged stress, which makes you more susceptible to winter illnesses.” And when the holidays are over? High cortisol triggers inflammation, leaving you with that familiar post-holiday fatigue.
It turns out, 70-80 percent of the immune system lives in the gut, which suggests your gut health has a lot of say in your immunity and mood. “Anything that disrupts the gut microbiome—like too many decadent sweet treats, processed foods, late nights, jet lag, lack of exercise, and even psychological stress—can make us more vulnerable to getting sick or feeling more anxious,” Dr. Song says. “A healthy, happy gut microbiome supports a healthy, happy immune system and brain.”
Happy Hormones
That said, it’s not all bah humbug. Yes, holiday gatherings can be stressful, but they can also spark feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin.”The neurochemical system of our brain experiences a significant boost during holiday seasons,” Dr. Holmes says. Why? We’re usually spending more time with friends and family, and that translates to significant benefits for our well-being. In fact, the world’s longest-running study on happiness (The Harvard Study of Adult Development) found that the biggest predictor of health and happiness isn’t in our bodies or minds, but in our relationships.
Here’s how it works: Dr. Holmes says that when we’re around people who make us feel safe and connected, the brain releases dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Physical touch, shared meals, laughter, and eye contact trigger oxytocin (aka the “love hormone”). Nostalgic comfort and a sense of belonging increase serotonin levels. And joyful anticipation, like prepping food, exchanging gifts, or planning activities with our loved ones, creates a surge of dopamine. “These neurochemical shifts create beneficial effects on cortisol levels, immune system function, and sleep quality,” Dr. Holmes continues. “The holiday season functions as a biological system reset, which helps people experience the feelings of safety, joy, and connection through their nervous system.”
Read more: Home for the Holidays: Finding Comfort Wherever You Land
Tips for Keeping Your Body Healthy This Season
Prioritize Sleep as a Non-Negotiable
When the holidays throw your normal routine out the window, sleep is usually one of the first things to get sidelined. But Dr. Song reminds us that sleep is how we process emotions, repair our bodies, detox our brains, and keep our stress response in check—things we need more during hectic times. “Protect 7-8 hours of sleep whenever your schedule allows it, even when your schedule becomes busy,” Dr. Holmes encourages.
If you’re traveling across time zones, she suggests shifting your body clock by adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time by 15–30 minutes each day for three to five days before your trip. And don’t forget the good sleep hygiene basics: maintain a consistent sleep schedule, build a calming wind-down routine, create a sleep-inducing environment, and skip heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol at least 3-4 hours before bedtime.
Create Stress Boundaries through Nervous System Regulation
“The human body cannot prevent holiday stress, but you can control your reaction to it,” Dr. Holmes says. Instead of trying to eliminate stress altogether, she emphasizes that the real goal is to build stress tolerance. Carve out 10-15 minutes each day for parasympathetic-activating practices like breathwork, meditation, or gentle movement. “The practice helps your body reduce cortisol levels while strengthening your immune system function.”
Dr. Song adds that even taking brief pauses to reconnect with yourself and engage your vagus nerve (the main nerves in the parasympathetic nervous system that carry signals between the brain, heart, and digestive system) can boost both calm and resilience: “Slow, deep, diaphragmatic belly breathing immediately activates your vagus nerve, shifting the body out of sympathetic ‘fight-or-flight’ overdrive and into the parasympathetic ‘rest-digest-heal’ state.” The payoff is more calm, better digestion, and improved immunity.
Nourish Your Gut with Intentional Eating Practices
The gut is known as your second brain for good reason—it’s the foundation of your overall health. “When you support your gut with small, consistent habits, you support your immune system, mood, digestion, and ability to meet stressful seasons with more resilience,” Dr. Song says. No need for restrictive diets. Rather, focus on adding the right foods and giving your body 3-4 hours between meals to allow digestion to do its thing.
To keep your microbiome thriving, both Dr. Holmes and Dr. Song swear by fiber-rich plants such as spinach, broccoli, and chickpeas, a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut. “These foods increase microbial diversity and help your microbiome produce beneficial products like the short-chain fatty acid butyrate that calms inflammation, supports immune balance, and optimizes brain health,” Dr. Song says. Her final piece of gut-friendly advice? Limit excess sugar and ultra-processed foods, especially those with emulsifiers (think: carrageenan, gelatin, and gums), which can reduce microbiome diversity and function.
Keep Your Energy Steady with Movement
Ditch the intense workouts over the holidays, Dr. Holmes says. Just 20-30 minutes of physical activity like walking, stretching, or light strength training makes a difference. According to Dr. Holmes and Dr. Song, movement helps balance blood sugar and cortisol, promoting steady energy, better mood, healthier immunity, optimal digestion, sharper focus, and detoxification. When blood sugar is stable, you avoid energy crashes and reduce cravings, while balanced cortisol levels help your body manage stress and maintain healthy metabolism. If you’re really short on time, short bursts—like doing squats while your coffee brews or stretching at your desk—count, too. “Your body uses movement as a therapeutic tool, which works similarly to sleep and nutrition for healing purposes,” Dr. Holmes says.
The Takeaway
Dr. Holmes leaves us with this: “The holidays don’t need flawless execution. The process demands both self-awareness and deliberate action. Your body undergoes specific changes during this time, so you can select actions that support your natural biology instead of working against it.” Notice what your body is telling you—whether it’s stress, digestive troubles, sleep disturbances, or moments of joy. Respond with care and intention, and you might find yourself not just surviving the holidays, but truly savoring them.
Read more: Comfort Food & Conscious Choices
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