Diets, Finances & Sleep: Are You Worrying Yourself Senseless?

Are you an anxious person? If so, you might want to find ways to stop fretting, because according to a new study, the typical adult loses two hours a day worrying about relationships, money, careers and their health.

The study, which was commissioned by Benenden Health, revealed that the average person spends 14 hours every single week worrying about a host of topics. While worrying is perfectly natural, too much anxiety can have a severely negative impact on our mental (and our physical) health.

45 per cent of the people who took part in the study admitted that stress and worry had affected their health. Too much anxiety can cause sleepless nights, fights with our family and friends and it can leave us unable to concentrate at work.

“It’s a sad reality that stress is dominating our lives and having a severe impact on our work life, our quality of sleep and our personal relationships,” said Paul Keenan, a spokesman for Benenden Health.

“The crunch comes when it begins to have a detrimental impact on our health – and 45 per cent admit stress is already doing this. 32 per cent of people have even gone to the doctors because of worry or stress,” he added.

14 hours a week, six nights a month - are you worrying yourself senseless?

On average, the vast majority of us spend six nights every month tossing and turning because we’re anxious over something, and one in four of us feel we have a major worry that we aren’t dealing with properly.

Disturbingly enough, one in four of us don’t feel like we have someone in our lives that we can share our problems with.

The top ten worries that we have are:

1. Stomach/being over weight

2. Getting old

3. Lack of savings/financial future

4. Overall fitness

5. Overdrafts and loans

6. Low energy levels

7. Credit card debt

8. Paying rent/mortgage

9. Job security

10. Diet

One of the easiest ways to combat anxiety is to find someone that you can share your problems with. Whether it’s your partner, a parent, a sibling, a friend or a counsellor, never be afraid to get something that’s worrying you off your chest.

If you’re currently feeling stressed and anxious and unsure of where to turn, visit The Samaritans website by clicking here.