There are a lot of workaholics out there, some by choice, others by necessity. Unfortunately, working long hours can take its toll over time. From sleep deprivation to heart attacks and strokes, working long hours can have long-lasting health implications.

A Struggle for Work-Life and Work-Health Balance

Long work hours increase the risk for a second heart attack.

Diagnosis Life summary:
A study in Journal of the American College of Cardiology (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.02.012) looked at 967 people who went back to work after having a heart attack. After 6 years, 21% of them had a second heart attack. People who worked more than 55 hours had 2 times the risk of people working full-time (35-40 hours per week). They had 2.5 times the risk of those working part-time (21-34 hours per week). Even when confounding factors were taken into account (e.g., sociodemographics, lifestyle choices, clinical risk factors, and work environment), the risk for people working the most hours remained as high as 67%. Work life and its related stressors are an independent risk factor for heart disease.

The risk for breast cancer and stroke are increased with long work hours.

Diagnosis Life summary:
A systematic review and meta-analysis in PLOS One (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231037) included 48 studies that looked to see if the shift work or long work hours affected chronic health conditions. The researchers found strong associations for breast cancer and stroke. Specifically, shift workers had an 11% higher risk for breast cancer than non-shift workers. People working long hours increased their stroke risk by as much as 33% and the risk increased the more hours someone worked beyond a 40 hour week.

Working long hours or weekend hours can increase depressive symptoms.

Diagnosis Life summary:
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2018-211309) looked at more than 23,000 adults working in the UK. The researchers compared people working a full time job (35 – 40 hours per week) to those working 55 hours or more. Working long hours increased depressive symptoms in women but not men. Working on weekends had an impact too. Work hours on all or most weekends worsened symptoms for everyone, but working some or occasional weekends only seemed to affect men. Whatever your gender, your work hours influence your mental health so pick your schedule wisely.