FRETTING ABOUT STRESS? CONSULT YOUR BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION CHECKLIST

  Exhausted? Irritable? Lost your appetite for food, fun or sex? You might be suffering from stress. 

These signs and symptoms and many more are included in a new British Heart Foundation (BHF) checklist to help people test their stress levels. The list is part of the charity's first advice booklet dedicated to explaining the link between stress and heart disease.

Half a million people in the UK believe work-related stress is making them ill.  While stress is not one of the main risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD), the link between the two is becoming clearer as more research is done. The main risk factors are high blood cholesterol, low physical activity, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and family history. Having one or more of these factors combined with high stress levels can lead to CHD, the UK 's biggest killer.

Professor Andrew Steptoe, BHF Professor of Psychology at University College London , said: "Research is beginning to show that, for some people at least, stress may contribute to coronary heart disease.

Because we cannot measure stress easily, this area of research is complex and it could be years before we can say for certain whether stress directly affects the heart.

  "A degree of challenge is necessary for us to feel motivated and enthusiastic, but too much stress can cause ill health. Getting the balance right helps us to lead a healthy, active lifestyle and cope with stress in a positive way. The message from the BHF is be aware of the warning signs and take action to manage your stress so that it does not damage your health."

  The stress checklist includes 23 possible symptoms. If you tick more than five, you may be suffering from stress and should read the BHF booklet to find out how to manage it.

The 23 symptoms are:

- Feeling sweaty or shivery
- Pounding heart or palpitations
- Needing to go to the toilet a lot more than normal
- Feeling sick in the stomach ('having butterflies')
- Dry mouth
- Exhaustion
- Odd aches and pains
- Smoking and drinking more
- Working to exhaustion
- Headaches
- No time for hobbies any more
- Being irritable at everything
- Thinking "I can't cope with this any more"
- Loss of appetite for food, fun or sex
- Eating too much or too little
- Loss of sense of humour
- Loss of interest in personal appearance
- Loss of interest in other people
- A feeling that everything is pointless
- Tearfulness
- Forgetfulness
- Feeling tired and having no energy
- Difficulty in sleeping, disturbed sleep and waking up unusually early

  The booklet also looks at how stress can affect the heart, teaches how to recognise the symptoms and offers tips on how to cope with stress.

There is a questions and answers section and contact details for people who feel they need further information. And to illustrate the issue further, the booklet includes case studies based on real people who have suffered from stress and found ways to control it through exercise or healthy eating plans.

The booklet can be downloaded or ordered from the BHF website at bhf.org.uk/stress. Alternatively, it can be ordered by calling 01604 640016. BHF publications are free of charge, but a donation is welcome.

- For more information on the BHF, visit bhf.org.uk.