Is stress making you fat and tired?
Stress levels are seriously getting to us, as it is estimated that a staggering 75% of patient visits to GP surgeries are now attributable to stress.
For adults, the main causes of stress relate to exhaustion at work and financial insecurity in today's challenging economic circumstances.
Worryingly, doctors and health professionals are also seeing a rise in the number of children with stress-related health problems, often as a result of increased academic pressure.
"Low energy levels, sleep disturbances, exhaustion, anxiety and weight gain caused by stress have become increasingly common," says Victoria Tyler a Nutritional Therapist working in London's Harley Street.
Nutrition and Vitality have found that by using a stress test we are able to identify stress-related health issues in order to evaluate the best course of action. Anyone can take the simple stress test to evaluate how stressed they are and whether their stress levels are likely to have an impact on their health.
According to Victoria "a wealth of new scientific research has clearly shown the damage stress can wreak on the body. Long term stress not only causes heart disease and high blood pressure but even seems to be related to loss of memory, diminished immune function and obesity".
Victoria is not alone in her concerns about the role stress has come to play on our health. The American Medical Association estimates that 80% of all illnesses are caused by stress to some degree, and alarmingly, a recent gallup survey found that 80% of us feel stressed at work. Stressful situations trigger the release of adrenaline, the fight or flight hormone, to help us cope. The trouble is, many of us feel pressured and stressed on a day to day basis, and over the long term the stress we face in an increasingly competitive society can result in serious health problems. If left unchecked, stress can be a killer.