Gadget

People are 30% more stressed now than before smartphones were invented Constant e-mails and texts from friends and bosses prevent them relaxing Around 65% of people say they prefer being digitally switched off

By Emma Innes

PUBLISHED: 11:20 EST, 20 November 2013 | UPDATED: 11:23 EST, 20 November 2013

Gadget-obsessed Britons who are constantly connected to the internet are more stressed than ever before, new research has revealed.

Never being able to switch off and having nowhere to hide from friends and employers makes people 30 per cent more stressed today than they were before smartphones and tablets existed.

Ever-present emails, texts and other forms of instant communication creep into downtime and prevent people relaxing.

The devices are meant to alleviate pressure by providing communication on the move but Frances Booth, one of the leading digital distraction authors, said they actually add to people's woes.

In her research she monitored the stress levels of 15 adults, aged under 40, who spent one week with their usual digital devices, and one week without them.

The entire group recorded 'significantly higher' stress levels in week one but the majority reported feeling more relaxed and 'generally in a better mood' at the end of week two.

Some 65 per cent said they preferred being digitally switched off.

Ms Booth advocates incorporating digital down time into everyone's life.

'The results were staggering. We found that people who use smartphones and tablets to stay tuned-in 24/7 are prone to higher levels of stress than those who stick to good old-fashioned communication,' the author said.

'We like to think that the digital era has made life easier but as the research shows, there is a price attached to living in a constantly connected society.

'Constantly having to monitor and respond to emails, social media updates, text messages and other digital distractions decreases our quality of life. We end up feeling drained and overwhelmed by a deluge of data.'

She added: 'The fact is that people can no longer relax.

'As a nation, we are welded to our smartphones and tablets, and our brains are no longer given the luxury of switching off. This has an unhealthy effect on stress levels.'

The research comes just weeks after it was revealed that more than one in ten Britons are utterly exhausted.

A survey, conducted by Champneys health spa, also showed that 53 per cent of people are continuously tired and 41 per cent sometimes feel exhausted.

It is believed the reason behind the findings is that people are so stressed they are unable to sleep.

Professor Jason Ellis, a sleep expert at the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, at the University of Northumbria, said: 'The top reason why we are constantly exhausted and can't sleep is because we are so stressed.

'Unable to switch off, we're finding it increasingly hard to relax as we have forgotten how to unwind before we try and sleep, plus we're also guilty of thinking about work or trying to 'catch-up' when we should be relaxing and preparing for bed.'