Long working hours and heart health
StressKey points
- 55+ hours a week: 33% higher stroke risk.
- 13% higher risk of coronary heart disease.
- Long hours crowd out sleep, exercise and rest.
- Boundaries around work time and recovery matter.
What the research shows
Long hours. A meta-analysis in The Lancet pooled data from 25 studies with more than 600,000 people in Europe, the U.S. and Australia. Working 55 hours a week or more was linked to a 33% higher risk of stroke and a 13% higher risk of coronary heart disease compared with 35 to 40 hours (Kivimäki et al., 2015).
Job strain. A related meta-analysis of nearly 200,000 people found that job strain, high demands combined with low control, was linked to a 23% higher risk of coronary heart disease (Kivimäki et al., 2012).
Burnout. A systematic review linked burnout to physical problems, including cardiovascular disease, as well as depression and insomnia (Salvagioni et al., 2017).
In practice
- Set a firm end time for work and turn off notifications after hours.
- Protect 7 or more hours of sleep.
- Build movement into the workday.
- Take your paid time off.
- Talk to your manager or HR if workload is unsustainable.
Frequently asked questions
Is it the hours or the stress?
Probably both. Long hours raise stress and leave less time for sleep, activity and medical care.
What if I cannot cut my hours?
Protect sleep, take short breaks, move during the day and keep at least one full day off a week when possible.
Sources
- Kivimäki et al. (2015). Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603 838 individuals. The Lancet 386(10005):1739-1746. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60295-1
- Kivimäki et al. (2012). Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data. The Lancet 380(9852):1491-1497. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60994-5
- Salvagioni et al. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLOS ONE 12(10):e0185781. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185781
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