(Photo by Flickr user  Keirsten Marie via Creative Commons license)

Money causes the most stress for Americans, followed by self-pressure and lack of sleep. (Photo by Flickr user Keirsten Marie via Creative Commons license)

Money causes the most stress for Americans, followed by self-pressure and lack of sleep. Health and job pressures round out the top five, according to GfK, a market and consumer information company.

Thirty-five percent of Americans say money worries them the most, with finances being a bigger concern for women (42 percent) than for men (28 percent). Six-in-10 Americans say they’d rate their personal financial situation as “fair” or “poor”.

(Photo by Flickr user Tony Alter via Creative Commons license)

On average, Americans sleep 6.8 hours a night. (Photo by Flickr user Tony Alter via Creative Commons license)

Forty percent of Americans get less sleep than the experts recommend, fewer than seven hours nightly. On average, Americans sleep 6.8 hours a night. In 1942, we were getting 7.8 hours of sleep.

Experts recommend seven to nine hours sleep for adults. Lack of sleep can cause health problems and cognitive impairment.

When it comes to their health, worries about the cost of health care and having access to it, concern Americans most. Those two things have been a major concern for Americans since the early 2000s.

Workplace stress can have a serious impact on health. A recent study found people are most worried about losing their jobs, which increases the odds of having poor health by 50 percent. The same study showed that working long hours ups the chances of early death by 20 percent.

The top two stressors — finances and self pressure — can really kick into high gear this time of year. Christmas and other holiday shopping can leave Americans feeling pressed to get everything done on time, while also worrying about finding the money to pay for those gifts for friends and loved ones.

USA - Top 5 Causes of Stress