We're a nation addicted to tech (and how we can switch off)

Bathroom designer and manufacturer, Geberit has commissioned a study to discover the impact of modern living on the UK’s well-being.  

It seems Britain is close to burn out, with seven out of 10 Brits struggling to switch off from technology – namely, mobile phones. Unbelievably (or maybe not), the average adult checks their phone 56.2 times a day, meaning over 1.3 million times in a lifetime.

What’s more, they found that multi-tasking women use their phones for an hour more a day than men, racking up five hours each day attached to their phones, which is, shockingly, one third of their entire waking hours.

Three quarters of the population are unable to find time to relax, and a huge 71 per cent reported that they were stressed out from the strains of modern life.

If this sounds like you, a solution may be found in the bathroom.  

In the quest for some respite from our busy lives, 43 per cent of the population choose to switch off from technology in the bathroom, while 38 per cent make the bedroom a tech-free zone, and one in 12 adults even hide out in the shed.

‘Steps that can make a real difference include creating a dedicated sanctuary space in the home to properly decompress, and then commit to using it regularly for a few minutes of meditation or breathing exercises each day,’ says David Bond, consumer marketing manager at Geberit. ‘Carrying out these “cortisol reduction rituals” in the shower or bath helps to incorporate them effortlessly into your daily routine, providing the opportunity to de-clutter your mind and bring about those rare, but vitally important, moments of calm.’

So, do you live in one of the UK's most stressed out cities? Read on to find out who nabbed the top spot.

The study found that the UK’s most stressed cities are: 

1 Leicester

2 Plymouth

3 London

4 Manchester

5 Glasgow = Edinburgh

7 Bristol

8 Oxford

9 Sheffield

10 Birmingham