Brit teachers turning to binge eating to cope with stress
23 Aug 2008, 1625 Hrs

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London, Aug 23 (ANI): Teachers in Britain are under so much stress that they are turning to binge eating to cope with it, says a new survey.

In the survey by the Stroke Association, nearly half of the teachers admit they turn to comfort eating to cope with the stress.

It found that 47 per cent of teachers admitted they lost sleep when stressed, while 45 per cent said they turned to comfort eating to deal with it.

About 42 per cent said they cried, 37 per cent admitted they became angry, 29 per cent said they turned to drink and 16 per cent admitted to turn to smoking to cope.

Only 13 per cent said they took exercise to deal with stress and two per cent said they turned to drugs.

"We more often get calls from people about physical symptoms like lack of sleep, headaches and lack of concentration. People's coping mechanisms are different and we try to help them find healthy ways to cope that can help them through difficult times," The Daily Express quoted Hannah Essex, of the Teacher Support Network counselling service, as saying.

"For some people, food is where they find their comfort, but it is not a long-term solution," she added.

She said teachers tend to ring the organisation because of stress caused by difficult relationships with colleagues, money worries and the volume of work they have to do in a short period of time.

However, stress caused by unruly pupils was less common. (ANI)