Men experience an increase in blood pressure and adrenaline levels while women have a greater heart rate level when exposed to stressful situations. This could suggest that stress is more regulated by the nervous system in men and the metabolic system in women.
Women have greater levels of estrogen, which has been shown to stimulate muscle repair and the regenerative process. A decrease in hormones has been associated with a greater incidence for injury and a delay in recovery. So, women are not just small men, as women and men differ in hormonal levels considerably.
After sitting for long periods, a driver’s muscles tend to move, or become strained. This is called viscoelastic creep, and women were found to recover more quickly and experience less stiffness than men when exiting the vehicle after hours behind the wheel.