A report has shed new light on the stress British workers are under, and claims one in 10 people are constantly at boiling point.
Research for the Relaxation for Living Institute (RfLI) found people spend a total of five-and-a-half years of their adult life feeling tense.
More than half of the population struggle to get to sleep at night, while a similar number suffer from stress-related headaches or migraines.
Some 23% said they have digestive problems, and 17% admit to experiencing panic attacks.
The survey found that the biggest strain on people is financial uncertainty (64%), followed by work pressures (54%), and relationships (49%).
The Institute identified four types of people, defined by how they react to stress: the Accepters (35% of the population), the Driven (16%), the Avoiders (16%) and the Unaware (33%).
Accepters treat stress as a natural part of life and face up to it calmly, while the Driven thrive under time pressure, and energise others rather than dealing with it themselves.
The Avoiders go out of their way to avoid anything that makes them anxious, and the Unaware are simply oblivious.
RfLI director Richard Hilliard said: “Stress can manifest itself in so many different ways, and the physical symptoms usually depend on how a person deals with it.
“In one person, it might make them short-tempered and feel constantly tense, while in another it can cause them all sorts of digestive problems, making them seriously depressed, and be totally crippling to their lifestyle.”
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Relaxation for Living Institute
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