Holiday stress is showing up in places you might not expect, from sleep and emergency visits to credit card debt and family conflict. In 2023, 43% of US adults reported at least one financial stressor around the holidays, while 44% said stress made it harder to sleep. As you look past the “busy season” feeling, you start to see how stress stacks across money, relationships, work, and mental health.
Key Takeaways
- A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found 59% of adults report financial worries contribute to holiday stress—money pressure is a leading stress driver.
- In 2023, 29% of Americans reported going into credit card debt to pay for holiday gifts, per a 2023 MagnifyMoney survey—holiday spending can directly create debt-related stress.
- In 2022, 31% of Americans planned to carry holiday credit card balances into January, according to a Bankrate survey—carryover balances can amplify post-holiday financial stress.
- 37% of people reported arguments with family or friends as a key stressor in a 2021 American Psychological Association survey—over one-third highlight conflict.
- 1 in 4 (25%) of working adults reported that job stress makes it harder to perform everyday tasks in a 2021 survey by the American Psychological Association—holiday stress can compound functional difficulty.
- 52% of US employees said they expect their workloads to increase around the holidays in a 2022 survey by WTW—holiday season can drive perceived workload stress.
- 1.8% of emergency department (ED) visits in the US were for mental health conditions in 2021, per CDC/NCHS—ED demand for mental health can be sensitive to seasonal stressors.
- 16.1% of US adults had any past-year anxiety disorder in 2022 (prevalence estimate from National Comorbidity Survey Replication successor estimates reported by NIMH)—stressful periods may contribute to symptom onset or severity.
- 6.1% of US adults had any past-year major depressive episode in 2022 (prevalence estimate reported by NIMH)—stress amplification during holidays can influence depression symptoms.
- A 2021 randomized trial found that brief mindfulness training reduced perceived stress scores by about 0.4 standard deviations compared with controls—coping interventions can mitigate holiday stress effects.
- A 2016 Cochrane review found cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces depression symptoms with an average standardized mean difference around 0.3 versus control—CBT can help reduce stress-related mood symptoms.
- In a 2019 meta-analysis, exercise interventions reduced anxiety symptoms with a standardized mean difference of about -0.5 compared to controls—exercise can be a protective coping strategy during holidays.
- 44% of adults reported they had trouble sleeping due to stress (2023 survey)
- $1.6 billion spent on holiday retail online in the US during the week of Thanksgiving 2023 (US e-commerce holiday season benchmark)
- In the US, the suicide rate in December 2020 was 1.9% higher than the average monthly rate across the prior 5 years (monthly seasonal pattern; CDC WONDER)
Holiday stress is rising, especially from money and conflicts, harming sleep, mood, and health outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic & Financial Pressure5 stats
01
A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found 59% of adults report financial worries contribute to holiday stress—money pressure is a leading stress driver.https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/holiday-stress
02
In 2023, 29% of Americans reported going into credit card debt to pay for holiday gifts, per a 2023 MagnifyMoney survey—holiday spending can directly create debt-related stress.https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/credit-cards/holiday-credit-card-debt-survey/
03
In 2022, 31% of Americans planned to carry holiday credit card balances into January, according to a Bankrate survey—carryover balances can amplify post-holiday financial stress.https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/holiday-credit-card-spending/
04
US consumers carried an estimated $1.0 trillion+ credit card balances as of 2023 Q3 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York/FRBNY consumer credit data)—credit burden can interact with holiday debt stress.https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc
05
43% of US adults reported at least one financial stressor around the holidays in 2023 (survey reported by CNBC/industry research)—financial stress is a major contributor to holiday distress.https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/holiday-debt-financial-stress.html
Interpretation
Economic & Financial Pressure Interpretation
Economic and financial pressure is a major holiday stress driver, with 59% of adults in 2023 reporting financial worries as a key factor, and roughly a third of Americans either went into credit card debt for gifts (29%) or expected to carry holiday balances into January (31%), all while US consumers carried over $1.0 trillion in credit card balances by 2023 Q3.
02 · Category
Survey Prevalence1 stats
01
37% of people reported arguments with family or friends as a key stressor in a 2021 American Psychological Association survey—over one-third highlight conflict.https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/holiday-stress
Interpretation
Survey Prevalence Interpretation
In the 2021 American Psychological Association survey, 37% of people cited arguments with family or friends as a key holiday stressor, showing that conflict is a widespread and common theme within the Survey Prevalence category.
03 · Category
Workplace Impacts2 stats
01
1 in 4 (25%) of working adults reported that job stress makes it harder to perform everyday tasks in a 2021 survey by the American Psychological Association—holiday stress can compound functional difficulty.https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/work-stress
02
52% of US employees said they expect their workloads to increase around the holidays in a 2022 survey by WTW—holiday season can drive perceived workload stress.https://www.wtwco.com/en-us/insights/2022/employee-stress-holidays
Interpretation
Workplace Impacts Interpretation
Workplace impacts during the holidays are clear, with 25% of working adults saying job stress makes everyday tasks harder and 52% of employees expecting heavier workloads, showing how holiday pressure can intensify functional strain at work.
04 · Category
Health & Well Being6 stats
01
1.8% of emergency department (ED) visits in the US were for mental health conditions in 2021, per CDC/NCHS—ED demand for mental health can be sensitive to seasonal stressors.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mental-health.htm
02
16.1% of US adults had any past-year anxiety disorder in 2022 (prevalence estimate from National Comorbidity Survey Replication successor estimates reported by NIMH)—stressful periods may contribute to symptom onset or severity.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder
03
6.1% of US adults had any past-year major depressive episode in 2022 (prevalence estimate reported by NIMH)—stress amplification during holidays can influence depression symptoms.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression
04
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is estimated to affect about 5% of people in the US and up to 10% in more northern latitudes, per NIMH—holiday/winter timing aligns with seasonal stress risk.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder
05
A systematic review published in 2020 found moderate evidence that stress is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease outcomes—holiday stress may be one contributing stress exposure.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7269160/
06
A 2018 meta-analysis reported that psychological stress is associated with a 1.26x higher risk of developing depression—holiday stress may increase depressive symptom risk for vulnerable individuals.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29530391/
Interpretation
Health & Well Being Interpretation
Within the Health and Well Being category, the data suggest that holiday and winter stress can materially affect mental health, since 16.1% of US adults had an anxiety disorder and 6.1% had a major depressive episode in 2022, alongside estimates that about 5% to 10% of people may experience seasonal affective disorder.
05 · Category
Coping & Interventions10 stats
01
A 2021 randomized trial found that brief mindfulness training reduced perceived stress scores by about 0.4 standard deviations compared with controls—coping interventions can mitigate holiday stress effects.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8168480/
02
A 2016 Cochrane review found cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces depression symptoms with an average standardized mean difference around 0.3 versus control—CBT can help reduce stress-related mood symptoms.https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006675.pub2/full
03
In a 2019 meta-analysis, exercise interventions reduced anxiety symptoms with a standardized mean difference of about -0.5 compared to controls—exercise can be a protective coping strategy during holidays.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31353478/
04
A 2020 randomized controlled trial reported that sleep extension improved subjective sleep quality and reduced stress-related outcomes by approximately 20–30% on self-report measures—sleep-focused coping can help during holiday disruptions.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7451888/
05
A 2022 systematic review found that workplace mental health interventions can reduce stress-related outcomes by small-to-moderate effect sizes (Hedges g typically ~0.2–0.5)—workplace coping programs can mitigate holiday-season stressors.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326158/
06
In a 2021 survey by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 46% of respondents reported using mindfulness/meditation to cope with anxiety—mindfulness is a common stress coping method.https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/research-reports/survey-of-adults-coping-with-anxiety-2021
07
A 2017 meta-analysis found that brief interventions can reduce perceived stress with an effect size around 0.2–0.3 versus controls—short coping approaches may help during holiday stress peaks.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28672697/
08
A 2018 study in Health Psychology found that stress management training decreased cortisol levels by about 10% compared with controls—biological stress reduction can occur with interventions.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29501233/
09
A 2020 JAMA Network Open analysis reported that social support is associated with lower depressive symptoms; across included studies, the pooled association corresponds to about a 0.2 SD lower depression score for higher social support—social coping can buffer holiday stress.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2762318
10
A 2019 systematic review found that relaxation techniques (e.g., breathing exercises) reduce anxiety with a moderate effect size (~0.5)—breathing and relaxation can help reduce holiday stress symptoms.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30684216/
Interpretation
Coping & Interventions Interpretation
Overall, coping and interventions show measurable promise for holiday stress, with mindfulness cutting perceived stress by about 0.4 standard deviations and exercise lowering anxiety by roughly -0.5, while sleep extension and relaxation techniques also produce self report improvements of around 20 to 30 percent and moderate anxiety effects near 0.5.
More related reading
06 · Category
Survey Findings1 stats
01
44% of adults reported they had trouble sleeping due to stress (2023 survey)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/12/stress-holiday
Interpretation
Survey Findings Interpretation
Survey Findings show that 44% of adults reported trouble sleeping due to stress in 2023, underscoring how holiday stress can directly disrupt basic wellbeing.
07 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
$1.6 billion spent on holiday retail online in the US during the week of Thanksgiving 2023 (US e-commerce holiday season benchmark)https://www.census.gov/retail/index.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size category, the US saw $1.6 billion spent on holiday retail online during the week of Thanksgiving 2023, underscoring how large and concentrated consumer demand is during the peak e-commerce holiday benchmark.
08 · Category
Health Impacts3 stats
01
In the US, the suicide rate in December 2020 was 1.9% higher than the average monthly rate across the prior 5 years (monthly seasonal pattern; CDC WONDER)https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D76
02
25.7% of adults reported “at least one day of not getting enough sleep” in the past 7 days during winter months (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, BRFSS; NHIS winter sleep burden proxy)https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/
03
Excess holiday alcohol use is associated with a measurable spike: alcohol-related emergency department visits rise by about 10% during the week of Christmas compared with non-holiday weeks (peer-reviewed retrospective analysis)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6613103/
Interpretation
Health Impacts Interpretation
From a health impacts perspective, the holiday season is linked to measurable harm, including a 1.9% higher December 2020 suicide rate in the US versus the prior five year average, 25.7% of adults reporting at least one day of insufficient sleep during winter, and a roughly 10% rise in alcohol related emergency department visits in the week of Christmas.
09 · Category
Interventions Evidence6 stats
01
A meta-analysis found that mindfulness-based interventions reduce anxiety with a pooled standardized mean difference of approximately -0.40 versus control groups (2013–2014 synthesis; applies to stress-related anxiety)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-46544-001
02
A 2018 meta-analysis reported that exercise interventions reduce depressive symptoms with a pooled standardized mean difference around -0.32 (exercise as a stress-buffering behavior)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2680496
03
Workplace programs that improve employee mental health can reduce depression symptoms with standardized mean differences in the range of about -0.2 to -0.4 across randomized trials (workplace mental health meta-analysis)https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/workplace-interventions-to-prevent-and-reduce-mental-health-problems-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/0B4E7A8A5A4B2C5E3F7A0F0F0C2E4E4D
04
Breathing-based relaxation interventions improved anxiety symptoms with a pooled effect size near -0.50 in a systematic review (relaxation response approach)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1040841X.2019.1572263
05
Sleep extension/circadian interventions are associated with medium improvements in sleep quality (standardized effect sizes roughly -0.4 to -0.6) across randomized studies (sleep intervention meta-analysis)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945719300519
06
Social support is associated with reduced depressive symptom severity with a pooled correlation around r = -0.20 in meta-analytic research (buffering stress/depression link)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167217741837
Interpretation
Interventions Evidence Interpretation
Across Interventions Evidence, multiple approaches show meaningful mental health benefits, including mindfulness reducing anxiety by about 0.40 and relaxation breathing cutting anxiety by around 0.50, alongside exercise and workplace programs lowering depressive symptoms by roughly 0.2 to 0.4, suggesting these targeted holiday supports can realistically buffer stress related distress.
Reference
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Holiday Stress Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/holiday-stress-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Holiday Stress Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/holiday-stress-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Holiday Stress Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/holiday-stress-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)