What do heart disease, back problems and panic attacks have in common? Along with a host of other conditions, they're all linked to stress.

Some polls show the Windy City is among the top 10 most stressful areas to live.



At her household, Shelly Castellano is up and at it well before 7 a.m., juggling the needs of three teenagers, their dog, Hunter, and a full-time job.

But a high-tech stress fighter that relies on the way you talk may help calm you down.

The American Psychological Association recently reported that 240 million Americans -- about 80 percent of the U.S. population -- say they're sometimes or always stressed.

According to the APA's statistics, at least half of those feeling the pressure worry that stress may make them sick.

"(In) today's society, we seem to have stress around us all the time," said Dr. Daniel Yohanna, a University of Chicago psychiatrist. Yohanna said people are right to be worried.

Stress hormones, released continuously, "can affect almost any organ your the body, depending on the individual," Yohanna said.

Castellano works as a property manager of a 186-unit building. On a recent day, her first task was to meet with a supervisor about the need for an electrician. Then she took calls, attended a building inspection, worked on plans for a fitness room, scheduled employee vacations -- all while keeping a smile on her face.

Kwan asked NBC5 Fitness Team member Andrea Metcalf introduce Castellano to a new piece of technology -- a voice-analying device that tests stress.

The stress indicator is software can be loaded into a handheld device.

To use the device, Castellano simply talks for 30 seconds, and the device measures her stress on a scale of one to 10.

Castellano's stress maxed out at 9.1.

The technology is called layered voice analysis, and devices like the VoicePrism employ it.

Manufacturers say that in less than a minute, the program identifies and analyzes thousands of voice expressions so minute that the human ear can't hear them. All of those expressions indicate how much and what kind of stress you're feeling.

Health experts say that once you're aware of your stress, a few minutes is all you need to fix it. After some breathing and visualization exercises, Castellano measured her stress again.

Her stress level went down, and continued to drop with each subsequent test, Kwan reported.

There are other stress testers out there, including one that continously measures your pulse rate.

Whatever method you use, the point is to know when to stop and de-stress during the day, as opposed to waiting til you need a half-dozen donuts, a drink, a cigarette or all of the above.

On The Net:

StressIndicator.com

EMWave.com