The Holiday Hormone Hangover

By: Dr. Beverly Huang ND, MSCP

The Holiday Hormone Hangover: Why You Feel Wired, Tired, and Everything in Between

If the holidays leave you riding a strange roller coaster of exhaustion, irritability, bloating, sugar cravings, night sweats, and restless sleep, you’re not imagining it. Women in perimenopause and menopause feel December differently. Between stress, sugar, alcohol, late nights, disrupted routines, and emotional load, your hormones are doing far more work than your calendar suggests.

Let’s break down what’s actually happening in your body and, more importantly, how to reclaim your energy as you move into the new year.

Cortisol Chaos: The Root of the Wired-Tired Feeling

December tends to run on adrenaline. Shopping, cooking, hosting, emotional labour, and constantly anticipating everyone’s needs push cortisol into overdrive. For women already navigating fluctuating estrogen and progesterone, this stress response gets exaggerated.

High cortisol = wired.
Low cortisol = tired.
Fluctuating cortisol = wired and tired, often in the same hour.

When cortisol yo-yos, women experience irritability, brain fog, midsection weight changes, and poor sleep. This is not a character flaw. It’s physiology.

Why Your Symptoms Feel Amplified

The seasonal trio of sugar, alcohol, and poor sleep creates the perfect storm.

• Sugar spikes insulin, which worsens hot flashes, bloating, and cravings
• Alcohol disrupts REM sleep, raises cortisol, and intensifies night sweats
• Late nights suppress melatonin and shift your circadian rhythm
• Emotional triggers heighten mood swings and tearfulness
• Skipped meals or grazing destabilize blood sugar, worsening fatigue and anxiety

You’re not “failing to cope.” Your hormones are responding to inputs.

What You Can Do to Recover

Keep this list close during December’s chaos.

Stabilize your blood sugar
Pair treats with protein or healthy fat, never eat sweets alone, and start meals with fibre or veggies first.

Support your nervous system
Try 5–10 minutes of deep breathing, gentle stretching, or legs up the wall. Small interventions have outsized effects.

Prioritize hydration
A simple way to reduce bloat, cravings, and headaches.

Create a sleep buffer
Wind down earlier than usual. Aim for cool bedroom temperatures and keep lights dim in the evening.

Lower the emotional load
Delegate. Ask for help. Say no more often than feels comfortable.

The holiday hormone hangover is real, and nothing about it is your fault. Your body is responding to an intense season while navigating a major hormonal transition. When you honour that physiology, you move from barely surviving December to actually reclaiming your power.