Survey: Americans more stressed

NEW YORK, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- One-third of U.S. adults say they live with extreme stress and 48 percent believe their stress has increased over the past five years.

Forty-eight percent of Americans report lying awake at night due to stress, while 44 report headache, 34 percent report upset stomach, 30 percent report muscle tension, 23 percent report a change in appetite, 17 percent report teeth grinding and 15 percent report a change in sex drive, the survey by the American Psychological Association found.

Money and work are the leading causes of stress for 75 percent of Americans, compared to 59 percent in 2006. Fifty-one said they are stressed about their rent or mortgage costs, 35 percent cite jobs interfering with their family or personal time and 54 percent said their stress caused them to fight with people close to them.

"We know that stress is a fact of life and some stress can have a positive impact, however, the high stress levels that many Americans report experiencing can have long-term health consequences, ranging from fatigue to obesity and heart disease," psychologist Russ Newman of the APA said in a statement.

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, of 1,848 U.S. adults had a margin of error of plus/minus 2 percentage points.