Can Long Working Hours Lead to Heart Disease or Stroke?

Burning the candle at both ends may please your boss, but it may come at the expense of your health. According to the World Health Organization's latest figures, 745 000 people died from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 percent rise since 2000. The new study comes at a time when most businesses are allowing employees to work from home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, and time management is one of the top concerns these days. In many sectors, teleworking has become the norm, blurring the lines between home and work. Furthermore, many companies have been forced to reduce or eliminate activities in order to save money, and those who remain on the payroll are forced to work longer hours. There is no work worth risking a stroke or heart attack for. Governments, employers, and employees must collaborate to reach an agreement on a cap. The majority of the deaths were among people aged 60 to 79 who died after working for 55 hours or more a week between the ages of 45 and 74. Doing overtime in general, even though it isn't the 55-hour limit that the community examined, has a negative impact on health. Working between 41 and 48 hours per week increased the risk of stroke by 10%, and working between 49 and 54 hours per week increased the risk of stroke by 27%.

The authors aren't sure what the relation is, but they have a few theories. Working long hours, for example, is linked to unhealthy health habits such as consuming more alcohol or sitting for long periods of time. These habits, when coupled with the stress of working overtime, may lead to a stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Working long hours is now considered to be the risk factor with the highest occupational disease burden, accounting for about one-third of the overall reported work-related burden of disease. This moves the focus to a more psychosocial occupational risk factor for human wellbeing, which is still relatively recent.

Prevention from Heart Disease and Stroke

Know your risk

Certain factors, such as smoking, kidney disease, or a family history of early heart disease, may raise the risk. Knowing your risk factors will assist you and your medical team in determining the right treatment plan for you. Many risk factors can be reduced by altering one's lifestyle.

Eat a healthy diet

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins, and fish can all be part of your diet. Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and sugary beverages. Reduce salt, added sugars, and saturated fats while avoiding trans fats by reading the nutrition facts label on packaged foods.

Keep yourself physically active

Moving more is one of the most effective ways to remain fit, avoid illness, and age gracefully. Per week, adults can engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. If you're already busy, you can up the ante to reap even more rewards. If you're not already busy, begin by sitting less and moving more

Keep a track on your weight

Maintain a good weight for yourself. If you're overweight or obese, you should lose weight. Begin by consuming less calories and increasing your physical activity. You will find out what your BMI is by using the calculator below (BMI). If you need assistance, speak to your doctor about a weight-loss plan.

Live Tobacco-free

Don't start smoking, vaping, or using tobacco products if you don't already. There is no such thing as a tobacco product that is legal. If stopping smoking or tobacco is a struggle for you, enlist the aid of your coworkers to help you stop using tried-and-true methods. Don't simply move from one tobacco source to another.

Take your medicine on time

Your doctor can prescribe statins or other medicines to help regulate cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure if you have a medical condition. Take all prescriptions exactly as prescribed. However, just take aspirin as a preventive measure if your doctor recommends it. A daily aspirin can not benefit you at all if you've never had a heart attack or stroke, and it may cause complications, such as bleeding.
Many heart and brain conditions may be delayed or avoided by leading a healthy lifestyle. This entails staying active and fit, eating well, not smoking, and controlling conditions that place you at risk. Take responsibility for your wellbeing. Join Healthy for Good for tips, tools, and motivation on how to make improvements and develop healthy behaviours that will last a lifetime.

Manage Conditions

It's important to work with your health care team to make lifestyle improvements if you have high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, high blood sugar, diabetes, or other disorders that put you at risk. Many diseases can be avoided or treated by improving one's diet, becoming more involved, losing weight, and quitting smoking.