Midlife women are often caring for everyone — children, aging parents, partners — while neglecting themselves. Research shows women caregivers have 23% higher rates of chronic illness compared to non-caregivers. This isn’t emotional exhaustion alone. Chronic caregiving stress elevates cortisol, disrupts sleep, weakens immunity, and accelerates cardiovascular risk. Many women normalize this state, believing self-sacrifice is strength. Helpful interventions are not indulgence. They’re protective: scheduled recovery time, sleep protection, shared caregiving responsibility, therapy, and medical monitoring of blood pressure and glucose. You’re not supposed to be endlessly strong. Strength also means stopping before your body collapses. #Health #WomensHealth #CaregiverHealth