Our wallets will not be the only thing suffering as we buy presents this Christmas. The mind and body will also be put under dangerous levels of stress, a study has found.

Christmas shopping increased blood pressure to dangerous levels in 50 per cent of shoppers. This can lead to hypertension, which can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney problems. Even low levels of hypertension are linked with migraines, panic attacks and osteoporosis. Heart rates increased by an average of 10 per cent during Christmas shopping, University of East London in partnership with Moneysupermarket Shopping found.

In the study of 16 men and 16 women, men had the worst spikes in heart rate during a 90-minute spree in London. But with blood pressure and cortisol, both sexes had similar increases.

Samuel Thompson, 30:" I HAD to buy five items and had an hour and a half to buy them. No sweat --or so I thought."

"Normally, I know exactly what I want to get and do it as quick as possible. But having to make on-the-spot decisions, like we did in the test, makes it more stressful."

"Lack of time and the crowds were the biggest pressure points. I got frustrated by other people slowing me down by stopping to chat in the street. And I could feel myself sweating in queues. Everything took longer than planned."

Dr Turner's verdict:" Sam's heart rate was good at the start but it had almost doubled by the end. Combined with his hiked systolic blood pressure--up by nearly 15 per cent--it could put him in line for stroke. Systolic blood pressure relates to the pumping out of blood by the heart."

Set a budget.

Be clear how much you want to spend on each person and stick to it!

Make a list.

Make a detailed list of the people you need to buy gifts for--this will ease your panic and help you avoid the embarrassment of realising you completely forgot about your sister-in-law again.

Research gifts online.

Not only can this provide inspiration, but comparison sites will tell you where to get the best deals.

Shop online.

You can pretty much buy anything and everything you could want online. Many businesses offer next day delivery and discounts are offered online that are not available in-store.

Use your credit card.

Purchases made on your credit card are insured against theft, loss and damage.

Stagger your shopping.

If you start buying your presents a few months in advance--say one present a month--both your wallet and your stress levels will thank you for taking the pressure off.