Studies show that work-related stress is a major problem in healthcare. There are several reasons for this stress such as time pressure, working overtime, too many patients, poor patient-nurse relations, understaffing and other organizational factors. The work-related stress leads to “sick leave” caused by issues regarding physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to describe registered nurse ́s experiences of work-related stress in inpatient care. This was a literature-based essay grounded on eleven qualitative studies. The method used for the analyze were based on content analysis. Three main themes emerged. Main theme 1: Impact on emotional life, which included the sub-themes: experience of negative emotions, defense mechanisms in the event of overwhelming stress and fatigue symptoms. Main theme 2: Impact on privacy, which included the subthemes: physical pain, sleep problem and deteriorating family life. Main theme 3: Work impact, which included the subthemes: the feeling of not having time and lack of care. In summary, the nurses experienced great impact of work-related stress which was only negative. They felt affected both privately and at work. Work-related stress was experienced in the same way by nurses regardless of workplace. Nurses should increase their coping knowledge to deal with the stress they are exposed to. The work environment should also be improved in terms of staffing, working hours and competence development to reduce work-related stress.