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Seven million Brits are making themselves ill with worry 15 February 2006 Britons worry so much that they are making themselves ill, with nearly seven million worriers so anxious they have even been tempted to go to the doctor or get medication. A new report from Bupa Insurance reveals the UK’s nerves are on edge and people are more anxious than ever, with over half of worriers saying they worry more now than they did five years ago. Health tops the list of UK concerns, with people much more likely to be worried about their own and their family’s day to day health than issues like bird flu, crime and terrorist attacks. Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa Insurance’s deputy medical director, said: "This survey indicates that stress levels across the country are increasing. Almost everyone feels worried sometimes but if you are experiencing frequent sleepless nights and anxiety your worrying could be spiralling out of control. Stress-related medical problems are becoming increasingly common." Over half of worriers said their family causes them the most stress - far more than work colleagues and friends and the familiar tell-tale symptoms are as common as ever. More than a third of worriers surveyed are losing sleep, a quarter say they get annoyed, while others become withdrawn (12 percent) or shout (11 percent). Some even admit that worrying makes them drink alcohol or overeat. A third of worriers say they tend not to do anything about their concerns. Over a half of these say they don’t tackle their worries head-on because they hope they’ll go away or get better by themselves and over a third say it’s because they are too anxious. But many worriers are writing out their own personal prescription to deal with their anxieties - opting to talk to friends and family (42 percent), take a walk (21 percent), read a book (16 percent) or soak in the tub (13 percent). Dr Franklin adds: "There are lots of self-help techniques that can help you to reduce stress, and simple lifestyle changes such as ensuring you eat healthily and take regular exercise can also help." The health issues that people worry about most are, perhaps not surprisingly, heart disease and cancer. Bupa Insurance offers a specialist Heart and Cancer policy which offers cover specifically for these conditions. All Bupa members have access to a network of specialist treatment centres for breast, bowel and gynaecological cancer and we offer access to new drugs and treatments. Bupa Insurance’s Dr Paula Franklin offers these top tips to help cope with worry and stress:
Bupa has a range of free health factsheets on its website, including advice on how to stop worrying and cope with stress, available at: Find out about Bupa health insurance: Bupa Insurance’s research was carried out by TNS Omnibus on 9th-13th December 2005 amongst 1,881 adults aged 16 and over.
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