Bloated, Breathless & Brain-Fogged – How Stress is Wrecking Brits’ Health
22 April 2025
How Stress is Wrecking Brits’ Health
New research from VitalityHealth reveals that more than 1 in 5 (22%) Brits admit to feeling stressed every day and a further 21% say they are seriously stressed at least once a week.
Despite regularly feeling stressed, many are still unable to pinpoint an exact overarching cause, with over a third (36%) reporting to having no major worries. Instead, it seems to be the small everyday frustrations, sometimes referred to as micro-stressors, that are quietly wearing them down (45%). Micro-stressors are the small moments which seem like they should be manageable on their own but in reality illicit a stress response in our mind and bodies, and they seem to take a particular toll on Gen Z with 65% of them saying these little daily stresses add up to leave them constantly on edge.
These micro stressors include a variety of common daily annoyances like running late (31%), misplacing keys or phone (25%), or being stuck behind a slow walker (23%). However, it’s at work where many feel particularly impacted by small incidences with half (51%) saying even minor mistakes instantly send their stress levels soaring, and just over a quarter (26%) being left overwhelmed by simply forgetting something on their to-do list.
When feelings of stress do strike, Brits say they feel it physically before anything else, with the most common physical signs including increased heart rate (30%), persistent headaches (23%), shortness of breath (14), muscle twitches (11%) and even bloating (10%). It’s not just when they're awake that they feel impacted though, with 45% saying stress disrupts their sleep, and 30% being left feeling severely tired.
While Brits aren’t keeping quiet about their stress – a third (31%) admit to saying “I’m stressed” multiple times a day – only a fifth (22%) actively talk to someone about how they are feeling. Instead of dealing with their feelings of stress, most brush it off, with over half (54%) believing their worries are too small to worth mentioning - despite the fact they all add up.
Brits’ Top 10 Micro-Stressors include:
- Life admin tasks piling up (37%)
- Running late (31%)
- Being stuck in a long queue (30%)
- Work piling up (29%)
- Forgetting something on the to do list (26%)
- Misplacing your keys or phone (25%)
- Someone walking too slowly in front of me (23%)
- Missing public transport (19%)
- Carrying too many things (18%)
- Email overload (16%)
It appears that these micro-stressors aren’t just stopping Brits from feeling their best, they’re impacting their ability to make healthy life choices. 47% of people say that they sleep less, a quarter (25%) are less motivated to exercise, and 18% tend to eat more ultra-processed foods when feeling stressed.
Yetunde Bankole, Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing at Vitality, says: "Feeling stressed is something more of us are experiencing these days, but that doesn’t mean you should be constantly feeling overwhelmed. When you feel overwhelmed it’s important to consciously look and see why you’re feeling that way. Many of us are probably unaware of the impact microstressors can have on your overall mood and health, so taking a second to pause and reflect can help you tackle these negative feelings in a more constructive way. For instance, are you feeling on edge because you missed your train, getting stuck behind a slow walker? Two common micro stressors, but both are not within your control, and it’s important to let go of what you can’t control. By reflecting on the causes of your micro stressors and seeing that sometimes they sit outside of your ability to change them, you can then employ some simple habits to help let them go like deep breathing, taking short movement breaks, or venting to a friend.”
Notes to editors
Research was conducted by Opinium among 2000 UK adults in April 2025