Go home. And don't take your computer with you. New research reminds us that working overtime is terribly unhealthy.
The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that working more than 45 hours a week increases a person's risk for heart-related health problems, like heart attacks.
Researchers analyzed data from 1,900 participants to better understand the connection between work hours and heart health. The participants had all been employed for at least 10 years at full-time jobs. Researchers noted any cardiovascular disease-related events that had been diagnosed by a physician.
They found that participants' risk for heart disease progressively increased the more hours they worked. Participants who worked 55 hours a week for the 10 years had a 16 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who averaged 45 hours per week. Even more seriously, those who averaged 60 hours had a 35 percent higher risk.
Previous research has linked long working hours with heart disease, but this is the first to show a "dose-response," study author Sadie H. Conway, of University of Texas Health Sciences Center, wrote in a press statement. In other words, the study showed that the negative effects of work increase along with the number of hours worked.
Other findings show that regularly working late can increase risk for stroke and affect focus and mood. Even more convincing to cut the cord? Working more could actually make you less productive. One mind-blowing study found that someone who spends 70 hours working produces nothing more than they would have at 55 hours.
That's 15 hours entirely wasted. Consider all of this the next time you find yourself dawdling in your swivel chair. Then go home.
Related
Before You Go
