Stressed Britons face burnout as unable to 'switch-off'

The poll suggests people are far more worried about not getting enough sleep and the stresses of everyday living than smoking, drinking or having a bad diet.

Public health experts say the findings reflect the increasing pressures of the 24-hour society we now live in.

They have long been warning that the strains of modern living - where employees work increasingly longer hours and spend less time with their family and friends- could be costing the health of millions.

The advent of mobile phones, the internet and email devices such as Blackberries have also made it harder for people to 'switch off' and find proper time to relax.

The survey, commissioned by Legal and General, questioned more than 5,000 men and women on their biggest worries over the past three months.

Nearly half of the respondents said that lack of exercise was their number one health concern. Lack of sleep followed at 42 per cent while 34 per cent cited general fatigue as a major worry.

More than a quarter blamed stress as a cause of anxiety while almost the same number said they worried about feeling depressed.

Passive smoking, however, was mentioned by 15 per cent of people and drinking by just 12 per cent.

Only 14 per cent said they worried about not having time to follow a healthy diet and only a fifth said they were worried about food additives such as salt, colouring and preservatives.

Chris Rolland, director of healthcare at Legal and General said: "It is becoming clear that people are far more worried about the way we live our lives, the lack of sleep and stress than smoking and drinking.

"There are few things more important in life than our health; so it is vital that people look at the causes of a poor lifestyle to ensure their health is not compromised and hopefully prevent burn-out."

Nearly a third of the respondents said they were worried about not being able to see an NHS dentist.

Cleanliness of hospitals and having to wait to see a specialist were also among their top ten health concerns.

Angela Mawle, chief executive of the UK Public Health Association said: "This research shows that the 24/7 society is getting to us.

"Blackberries and mobile phones mean that we are always on call. It is hard to slow down and people struggle to find the time to relax. This has obvious health implications."

Earlier this year researchers warned that blackberry email devices can be as damaging to mental health as taking drugs.

The gadget - nicknamed the 'crackberry' because it is so addictive - allows workers to stay in touch with colleagues whenever they are out of the office.

But researchers from the Rutgers University Business School in New Jersey said this risked putting too much stress on staff who need to escape the pressure of working life, especially when at home.

The gadgets, they claim, are harmful in extreme cases and heavy users often neglect their friends and family in favour of using them.

Stress-related illness has become the number one cause of absenteeism in the workplace in Britain and is believed to cost £3.7billion a year in lost productivity healthcare costs.

The number of employees citing work-related anxiety and depression has doubled in a decade to more than a million.