Extreme stress is a condition one third of Americans are struggling with, endangering their health, relationships and work productivity, a national survey released today by the American Psychological Association reveals.

The American Psychological Association (APA) released a new national survey that shows one third of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly 48 percent of the population believe stress has intensified over the past five years.

Three quarters of Americans say money and work are leading stress factors, the survey shows; a remarkable increase over the past year – in 2006, 59 percent reported the same sources of stress. Additionally, 51 percent of Americans are attributing their stress to rent or mortgage costs.

The effects of stress have been close to devastating in their professional and personal lives, with nearly half of all Americans acknowledging this negative impact. Combining work and family responsibilities harmoniously is a problem for 31 percent of employed adults, while 33 percent report that jobs interfering with family and/or personal time as a source of stress.

Many report that stress has caused them to sacrifice relationships; 54 percent say they have had rows with people close to them; 25 percent say they have been ‘alienated’ from a friend or family member; and 8 percent connect stress to divorce or separation, the survey reveals.

As to managing stress, there is a bit of a contradiction. While 28 percent of Americans say they manage stress “extremely well,” an overwhelming 77 percent report experiencing physical symptoms, while 73 percent report psychological symptoms.

Among the most frequently experienced physical symptoms of stress are: fatigue, headache, upset stomach, muscle tension and change in appetite, according to APA’s survey.

Psychological symptoms frequently experienced include: irritability or anger, feeling nervous, lack of energy, and feeling on the brim of tearing up. The survey notes that nearly half of Americans report lying awake at night due to stress.

The survey was conducted online, commissioned by APA, between August 30 and September 11, 2007. It included 1,848 adults, aged 18 and over, who were interviewed in English or in Spanish.

When asked about methods employed to manage stress, participants reported the following: 43 percent said they overeat or eat unhealthy foods; 36 percent said they skipped a meal in the last month; consumers of alcohol (39 percent) and smokers (19 percent) reported intensifying these behaviors; 43 percent said they watched TV for more than 2 hours a day; 39 percent reported playing video games or surfing the Internet.

Among healthier behaviors chosen to manage stress were: listening to music (54 percent); reading (52 percent); exercising or walking (50 percent); spending time with family and friends (40 percent); and praying (34 percent).