Burnt out Brits struggle with stress

The nation's stress levels are on the increase and we are risking our health by turning to sugary food, takeaways and alcohol to help cope with modern life a new survey has revealed.

The brand new study by the British Acupuncture Council to mark 'Acupuncture Awareness Week' (2nd-8th March 2015) shows that over half of the UK residents surveyed are more stressed now than ten years ago and turn to junk food and booze in a bid to feel better.  The study of 5,000 adults found that a third of us admit to comfort eating when stressed, a quarter confess to drinking alcohol and as a result 1 in 5 admit they put on weight.

Despite 70% saying they are aware prolonged periods of stress can have a long-term impact on their health, almost half of people admit they just put up with it with two thirds saying stress is totally unavoidable in their life. A lack of time (41%), wanting to have it all (25%) and difficulty switching off from work (24%) were cited as the top reasons for the rise of burnt out Brits.

There are many symptoms associated with stress including anxiety, nausea, insomnia, headaches and stomach pains.  So how can we de-stress our lives, surely depriving ourselves of our junk food and alcoholic cravings just adds more pressure?

According to Tamzin Freeman, a qualified member of the British Acupuncture Council reaching for your favourite foods or treating yourself to that bottle of wine after a hectic day may feel good in the moment but won't tackle the root cause of the problem. Traditional acupuncture is an effective, evidence based therapy that can be a positive step for anyone wanting to get their stress levels back under control.

Although traditional acupuncture has been an integral part of Chinese medicine for nearly two thousand years, particularly as treatment for stress - just 4% of the UK have tried it.