A survey of 1,000 UK men reveals how frequently stress follows them into the evening, affects their sleep and shapes their attempts to unwind. The findings also raise questions about the difference between distraction and genuine rest.
A day can be over long before the mind agrees to stop. For almost half the men questioned in a new UK survey, switching off is a recurring struggle, even when the day’s demands are behind them.
Research commissioned by Nurosym found that 51% of men feel stressed every day or several times a week, while 48% regularly struggle to switch off mentally at the end of the day.
Sleep appears to be another casualty. More than three-quarters of respondents (78%) said stress had negatively affected their sleep, either frequently or occasionally.
Those figures describe men’s reported experiences rather than clinical assessments. Nevertheless, they point towards a familiar difficulty: having the opportunity to relax does not necessarily mean feeling relaxed.
With England’s first Men’s Health Strategy approaching its one-year progress assessment, the findings offer another reason to examine how men manage everyday stress, and how successfully they recover from it.
How Men Try to Unwind After a Stressful Day
For all the attention paid to mindfulness and relaxation techniques, the most popular way for men to unwind is considerably simpler.
Listening to music topped the survey, selected by 69% of respondents. Watching television or streaming services followed at 51%, narrowly ahead of exercise at 49%.
Video games were another popular choice, with 41% of men saying they use gaming to unwind. That was slightly higher than the 38% who spend time with family or friends and the 36% who head outdoors.
Watching sport appealed to 33%, while 28% turned to social media.
More than one in four men (27%) said they have an alcoholic drink to help manage stress. By comparison, just 16% reported using meditation or mindfulness.
These responses reveal what men choose to do, although they cannot establish how effectively each activity reduces stress.
There was also a revealing distinction between the activities men regularly use and those they consider most relaxing.
When asked to choose just one activity that leaves them feeling most relaxed, music remained the favourite at 27%. Sleeping or resting came next at 16%, followed by exercise at 15%, spending time outdoors at 12% and being with loved ones at 11%.
The difference matters. An activity can be enjoyable, convenient or distracting without necessarily being the thing that leaves someone feeling most rested.
Men Aged 35 to 44 Report the Highest Stress Levels
Although stress appears across every age group surveyed, men in their mid-30s to mid-40s reported the highest levels.
Among those aged 35 to 44, 58% said they experience stress every day or several times a week. The same age group was also the most likely to use alcohol to unwind, at 33%.
Younger men were not far behind.
Regular stress affected 57% of those aged 25 to 34 and 56% of men aged 18 to 24.
Their preferred coping habits were different, however. Among 25 to 34-year-olds, 61% played video games to unwind and 39% turned to social media.
Older respondents showed another pattern. Men aged 55 to 64 were more likely to spend time outdoors, with 44% selecting that activity.
It would be easy to attach explanations to these differences, particularly around midlife responsibilities or younger men’s digital habits. But the survey cannot establish why one age group reports more stress than another.
What it does suggest is that men’s experiences of stress, and their preferred responses to it, are far from uniform.
Public concern about men’s wellbeing was already evident in 2025, when polling by More in Common found that 47% of Britons believed men’s overall wellbeing had declined over the previous decade. Only one in four believed men and boys were looking after their mental health well.
Those findings reflected public perceptions rather than measured changes in health, but they provide context for the latest concerns.
Scotland and the North East Stand Out for Stress
Geography produced some of the survey’s more striking differences.
In the North East of England, 63% of men reported feeling stressed every day or several times a week, the highest regional figure.
Scotland followed at 60%, but recorded particularly high levels of sleep disruption.
Almost half of Scottish respondents (45%) said stress frequently affected their sleep, compared with 29% nationally.
Scottish men were also more likely to struggle with switching off mentally. Some 58% reported experiencing that difficulty regularly, against the UK-wide figure of 48%.
Alcohol was another notable difference. In Scotland, 37% said they used it to unwind, ten percentage points above the overall UK figure.
These regional comparisons are interesting, although they require caution. The number of respondents within each region and the polling recruitment method are unclear, limiting how confidently the differences can be generalised to the wider population.
Even so, the relationship respondents describe between stress, difficulty relaxing and disturbed sleep deserves attention.
Why Distraction and Genuine Relaxation Are Different
The central question raised by the findings is not whether watching television, listening to music or playing video games is inherently good or bad.
It is whether an activity helps somebody feel recovered afterwards.
Dr Elisabetta Burchi, Head of Research at Nurosym, believes this distinction deserves greater attention.
“Many of the things people use to unwind provide distraction, but distraction and genuine recovery are not always the same thing.
“Watching television, gaming or having a drink may temporarily take your mind away from whatever is causing stress, but that does not necessarily mean the nervous system has moved out of an activated state.
“If almost half of men are regularly struggling to switch off, we need to look not only at how much stress they are experiencing, but whether the ways they are coping are actually helping their body recover.”
Burchi’s concern centres on the body’s response to stress, which can persist beyond the situation that triggered it.
The parasympathetic nervous system is associated with the body’s calmer, restorative functions. Remaining tense, alert or mentally preoccupied may make it harder to settle into a restful evening.
That does not mean everyone needs an elaborate relaxation routine.
Burchi suggests practical approaches such as a short walk, calming music, gentle movement or a few minutes of slow breathing to help establish a transition between activity and rest.
Alcohol deserves particular consideration because its immediate relaxing effects can be misleading. Burchi notes that drinking can interfere with sleep quality, potentially leaving someone feeling less refreshed the following day.
Occasional drinking does not automatically indicate a problem, and the survey does not establish whether alcohol caused sleep difficulties among its respondents.
Likewise, the findings do not demonstrate that gaming or watching television prevents recovery. They simply raise questions about how different individuals experience those activities.
What the Findings Mean for Men’s Health
There is an important distinction between identifying a problem and establishing how best to address it.
Nurosym, which commissioned the research, also markets a non-invasive device designed to stimulate the vagus nerve and support relaxation. The company cites clinical research associated with vagus nerve stimulation, but the survey of men’s stress and coping habits does not test that device or demonstrate its effectiveness.
The findings are therefore best understood as a snapshot of reported stress and behaviour, rather than evidence supporting a particular treatment.
They also cannot establish whether England’s Men’s Health Strategy has improved outcomes during its first year. The survey covers men across the UK and does not provide a before-and-after measure of the strategy’s impact.
There is, however, a useful practical message.
Men who repeatedly find themselves mentally alert long after the day’s demands have finished may benefit from paying closer attention to how they feel after their usual evening activities.
A consistent wind-down period, reduced stimulation, gentle physical activity and relaxation techniques are among the approaches Burchi recommends.
There is no suggestion that one routine will suit everybody. Nor should persistent sleep disruption or stress that affects relationships, mood or everyday functioning simply be accepted as normal.
Where those difficulties continue or become hard to manage, seeking support from a medical professional is the appropriate next step.
The survey leaves plenty of questions unanswered. But one distinction is particularly worth remembering: an evening spent unwinding is not necessarily an evening spent recovering.
