Many people regularly work beyond the hours that they are contracted to. Did you know, though, that working too much overtime can damage the health of your heart? It can also raise your blood pressure significantly, which in some cases, may lead to impotence.
Just this week, a study of 6,000 civil servants, published in the European Heart Journal, found that workers who spent three hours of extra time on the job were 60% more likely to suffer from heart disease.
The researchers say that the findings should come as reminder to people, that they should remain vigilant about their work-life balance, and not push themselves too far over the edge. Hard work is one thing, but when your stress levels get so high that they threaten your physical or mental well-being, it is time to ease off.
The study was limited, in the sense that it only looked at public sector, civil service workers. How would the results have looked if private sector businesses had been analysed? Or if they had focused on manual labour, instead of office workers? These questions may be answered by a future survey.
In the past there has also been evidence that there is a strong link between the hours we work, and our health. A previous study carried out in the UK showed that people who had control of their own hours had better blood pressure, heart rates and mental health.
Giving people more flexibility as to when they work could, therefore, be a way that employers could help reduce illness among their workforce – although this would clearly not be an option for industries such as transport or construction, which rely on regular hours.
Stress, be it at work or at home, can cause erectile dysfunction. The condition can also be brought on by phsyical factors including high blood pressure.
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