05.24.10
Excessive Work is Bad for the Heart
Check out this article that talks about how people who work 10+ hours a day are much more likely to develop heart disease or have a heart attack than those that don’t. The study seemed to be a bit limited and did not factor in other possibly relevant factors. In any case, bottom line, don’t work so much. Having balance is good.
The study doesn’t say how, exactly, long hours at work might affect heart health. To try to pinpoint the effect of work time, Dr. Virtanen and her colleagues took a range of health factors into account in their analysis, including blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diet and exercise, and whether or not the participants smoked. They also factored in the workers’ rank and salary, since socioeconomic status has been linked to heart health.
In some ways, the people who worked overtime were healthier than those who worked just seven hours a day. They were less likely to drink heavily and smoke, for instance, and they got more exercise. On the other hand, they tended to sleep less and reported experiencing more stress, having more demanding jobs, and having less control over their work.