The Most Compelling Reason to Stop Being a Workaholic

Whew! It may not be the weekend yet, but at least we made it through another Monday! Do you ever feel like work is taking a toll on your health? Sure, working in an office, school, or hospital naturally exposes us to more germs for prolonged periods of time, but we're talking about something more serious than the common cold. 

An article recently published in the Los Angeles Times describes a study that found strong correlations between increased work week hours and incidence of stroke. The study looked at people who worked an average of 35-40 hours per week and compared them to people who worked 41-48, 49-54, or 55+ hours per week on average. The results indicate that those who work 41-48 hours per week are 10% more likely to have a stroke. The 49-54 hours per week group had an increased risk of 27%, and the 55+ hours per week group were 33% more likely to suffer a stroke than the baseline group.

The article discusses a few potential reasons why this may be the case:

• Working often means less time being physically active - and more time sitting, which has been shown to increase risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other ailments.
• People who work long hours are also more likely to be heavy drinkers, which is associated with a slew of health issues, including increased risk of stroke.
• More time spent at work means more frequent triggering of the body's stress response, which can contribute to stroke.

So the next time you're tempted to push the 55 hour mark on your work week, take a step back and think about what's most important: your health.