A new study shows that all work and no play
won’t just make you a dull boy or girl but could, in fact, kill you.
The study, which was led by Miki Kivimaki, an
epidemiologist at University College London, involved a methodical examination
of 25 other studies involving more than half a million Europeans, Americans,
and Australians followed for an average of eight years.
The finding: the longer people worked, the
higher their chance of having a stroke. Specifically, when compared to people
working standard hours (roughly 40 per week), those working 41 to 48 hours
increased their risk of stroke by 10 percent, while those working 49 to 54
hours increased their risk by 27 percent. Finally, those working an excessive
amount–55 hours a week or more–were 33 percent more likely to have a stroke
than people working 40 hours per week.
Medical experts believe the risk is related
to additional stress. They believe doctors need to ask questions about a
patient’s work status in order to determine a more accurate picture of their
health and potential heart problems.
“This research shows an association between
long working hours and an increased risk of having a stroke and heart disease,”
noted Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation.
“It is plausible that there could be a causal
relationship behind the link as sudden death following long working hours is
often caused by stroke, due to long and repeated periods of stress, although
that was not demonstrated in this study.
“This study highlights to doctors that they
need to pay particular attention to cardiovascular risk factors when they
advise people who work long hours.”
Source: http://www.activebeat.com
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