Look up the stairs - it's mom bringing down the laundry. Flying high late at night it's career woman putting on the final touches of a presentation, instead of sleeping. It's superwomen of the 21st Century!

When it comes to health, women excel in many areas compared to their male counterparts. They live longer, they maintain regular doctor's appointments and they tend to be at lower risk for serious illnesses. But with all the responsibilities and roles women juggle in the quest to be superwomen in today's world, a silent yet pervasive threat may disrupt their clean bill of health: STRESS.

According to research out of Yale's Interdisciplinary Stress Center, both men and women experience what's known as the common stress "fight-or-flight" reaction but women experience an increased arousal in the sympathetic nervous system resulting in increased heart rate and adrenaline rush, which is associated with higher anxiety. Women also experience stress on more of an emotional level, which can lead to challenging behavior problems, such as not exercising and craving carbohydrates, which in turn contributes to more stress-related illnesses including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Although chronic stress is a tough issue for woman to address, it can easily fixed with small lifestyle changes. James B. LaValle, R.Ph., C.C.N., board certified clinical nutritionist shares some of his ideas.

Stress accounts for many health conditions. There are four quick-fix stress solutions ­ for some of the most dangerous health conditions ­ that will provide immediate stress relief in the short term while stabilizing long-term health. 1) Why you should stop fad dieting (which causes more stress) and strategies to end stress eating; 2) How to check your vitamin D levels with a blood test in the comfort of your own home since stress is responsible for blocking the natural absorption of vitamin D that protects the body from a variety of diseases; 3) The exact number of hours you need of sleep to instantly reboot your body in one day; 4) The quickest, scientifically studied, stress reducers that can be done in less than 15 minutes, including: random acts of kindness, venting to a girlfriend and breathing techniques.