Long Work Hours Increasing Deaths From Heart Disease, Pandemic Work From Home Could Worsen It

Why Does Long Working Hours Increase Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke?

Several studies, prior to the current findings, have pointed out that people who work long working hours are likely to have poorer mental health and lower-quality sleep [3]. It has also been shown to increase the likelihood of smoking, excessive drinking, and weight gain.

The study findings show that working long hours is responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, making it one of the most severe risk factors with the largest occupational disease burden.

What Is Happy Hypoxia? How To Detect It? Step By Step Process To Use Pulse Oximeter

Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35 per cent higher risk of a stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease than working 35-40 hours a week.

The common trigger factors of heart disease and stroke are high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease and stroke, overweight and obesity, prediabetes, unhealthy diet, and not getting enough physical activity [4].

So how does this relate to long working hours?

Work stressors, such as job strain and long working hours, are associated with a moderately elevated risk of incident coronary heart disease and stroke.

Constant stress has been linked to higher activity in an area of the brain linked to processing emotions and an increased likelihood of developing heart and circulatory disease [5].

Who is at the risk of work-related heart health issues?

Work-related heart health issues are particularly significant in men (72 per cent death), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers.
Most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years (worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74).

Pandemic Work From Home Culture May Increase The Risk

The COVID-19 pandemic had caused the world to opt for work from home, which is becoming the norm for many organizations [6]. Working from home opens a new range of possibilities for the businesses as well as the employees. Working from home has several benefits: flexibility and ability, improved staff well-being, financial benefits, increased productivity, and more [7]. However, in the same line, it has certain risks associated with it as well.

The number of people working long hours is increasing. Currently, it stands at 9 per cent of the total population globally, which puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death [8].

COVID-19: Govt Releases List Of 15 Crucial Preventive Practices Against COVID

“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. He continued, “Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.”

He further stressed that “No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers [9].”

How To Manage Work From Home Hours?

Transitioning to a new way of working that too abruptly can seem difficult. But here, we provide you with some effective tips that would help make your work from home not only a productive one but also a healthy one.

Maintain regular work hours
Create a morning routine
Schedule breaks
Set daily/weekly goals
Create a comfortable and dedicated workspace
Eat a healthy lunch
Squeeze in some workout
Balance your work and personal life

Some of the easy exercises you can do are as follows:

Standing exercise: You can stand and stretch your arms and fingers in between your work. Standing for a few minutes will help in loosening your muscles and burns more calories than sitting.
Walk and talk: While talking to your teammates through the phone, skin sitting at the table, and walk around the room.
Stretch, turn and bend: Aim for 10 minutes by stretching, turning and bending yourself. Getting your body moving more often will help in stretching out your entire body and prevent muscles cramping.

Tips For A Healthy Work From Home During Covid-19 Lockdown