Even those who worked just over 40 hours per week saw a significant increase in stroke risk, according to results published online Wednesday in the journal Lancet.
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The researchers analyzed data from long-term studies about more than 500,000 men and women in the United States, Australia, Israel and eight European countries. Over the next seven or so years, 1,722 of them suffered a stroke.
“For example, compared with people who worked standard hours, those working between 41 and 48 hours had a 10 per cent higher risk of stroke, and those working 49 to 54 hours had a 27 per cent increased risk of stroke“.
Nonetheless, the researchers came to a conclusion that physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, and repetitive stress all enhance risk.
Researchers on Friday, August 21, revealed that working 55 hours or more per week, might be associated with greater risk of stroke and developing coronary heart disease, compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hours.
“It was surprising”, Mika Kivimaki, lead author on the study and a professor of epidemiology at University College London, told The Huffington Post. Researchers found the higher possibility of stroke may still occur even when taking into account other known risk factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status of the person.
“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”. The study provides evidence that those who work 55 hours or more per week are linked to a 33 percent greater risk of stroke. According to Quadir, sitting for an extended period of time also means that there’s much less time for looking after yourself. Spending longer hours at work may do more harm than good. Among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Turkey has the highest proportion of individuals working more than 50 h per week (43pc ), and the Netherlands the lowest (1pc ).
“Long working hours are not a negligible occurrence”, Urban Janlert, a researcher from the Umea University in Sweden wrote in a commentary accompanying the study.
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Some work conditions might be hard to change, such as underground work, climate conditions, and toxic exposure, Janlert said, “but the length of a working day is a human decision”.
