Weekends can harm your health

Long, lazy Saturday lunches and Sunday lie-ins may be a thing of the past for many people, according to Professor Cary Cooper of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and a leading authority on stress. "Disposable free time is increasingly hard to come by. Not only does the week's stress often have a `rollover' effect, but there are more demands made on you at the weekend. The pressure of organising dinner parties, cultural activities, housework and gardening all take their toll, so by the end of the 48 hours you're often left feeling more exhausted than after two days at work," he says in an article in the June issue of She magazine.

Experts in psychoneuroimmunology - the connection between mind and body - also warn that weekend stress may weaken the immune system and cause stomach upsets, rashes and skin disorders, fatigue and flu-like symptoms.