Low levels of stress can be beneficial for your health since it can boost brain power, but excessive stress levels in the workplace especially pose a 23 percent increase in heart attack risk. Physiotherapist Gamze Şenbursa said extreme level of stress can lead to sleep disorders, depression, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, anxiety and even heart attack. Based on a study conducted by the American Institute of Stress, chronic work stress poses a significant physical and emotional threat. Şenbursa said good stress is the kind of stimulation that increases quality of life. "Our brain assess whether what we come across in daily life is a threat or not. Then it enters into either ‘fight' or ‘flight' mode. The more we encounter problems, the more our brain responds to them. This is why we often feel threatened and stressed," she said. Excessive stress greatly impacts the iliac muscles. Manual or hands-on physical therapy is recommended for stress relief - a specialized form of physical therapy where practitioners use only their hands and put pressure on muscles to reduce spasms and muscle tension.