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Long Working Days Can Cause Heart Problems, Study Says (theguardian.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the hard-day's-night dept.

According to a major new study, long days at the office can be bad for your heart. While the risk of stroke is increased from working too many hours in the office, it seems that working more than 55 hours a week means a 40% higher chance of developing an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), when compared to those with a better work-life balance. The Guardian reports: The research team, led by Professor Mika Kivimaki from the department of epidemiology at University College, London, analysed data on the working patterns of 85,494 mainly middle-aged men and women drawn from the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Participants were put into groups according to their work pattern, with 35-40 hours a week regarded as the control group. No one had AF at the start of the study, published in the European Heart Journal. After 10 years of follow-up, an average of 12.4 per 1,000 people had developed AF, but among those working 55 hours or more, this figure was higher at 17.6 per 1,000 people. Those working the longest hours were more overweight, had higher blood pressure, smoked more and and consumed more alcohol. But the team's conclusions about longer working hours and AF still remained after taking these factors into account.

38 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Who Knew ;) by oldgraybeard · · Score: 2

    I am 61 and I just did a no sleep 24+ crashed at 6pm the next day and woke at 2300 hrs (so 5 hours of sleep) guess i should worry ;) But then again i drink a pot of coffee a day ;) lol

    1. Re:Who Knew ;) by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I hope you are getting rich and not someone else off your hard work.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Who Knew ;) by PeeAitchPee · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I know this is hard for some people to grasp, but there are other reasons to work hard besides "getting rich." The happiest people I've met are those who get to do what they love every day. When you find yourself in that position, working crazy hours and getting immersed in trying to figure something out for days on end, and then actually accomplishing something real *is* a very big part of it. Rich people can't buy that feeling -- it has to be earned.

    3. Re:Who Knew ;) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Ah yes. "If you love your job you'll never work a day in your life."
      Bullshit.
      I like my job just fine. I work around tons of great, dedicated, hard working people who know what they are doing and never shirk. There isn't a single person at my job who would pass up a vacation day or who would give up a moment of time with their families for a day on the job.
      To everyone who says "Work is play if you like your job", I reply "No one ever lay on their death bed and wished they had spent more time working"

    4. Re:Who Knew ;) by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      You could have developed an irregular heartbeat and not even know it, there are many people who walk around their entire lives with conditions like that and never know it unless someone hooks them up to an ECG and looks at it -- or it develops into a much worse problem and they end up in the hospital. Or you could just manage your overall stress levels well enough that you've got no such problems. No way to tell without some sort of diagnostics.

    5. Re:Who Knew ;) by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      You're talking about 'having a sense of purpose', and too many people just plain don't -- or they have chosen the wrong purpose, or their 'purpose' has been twisted and subverted into something bad.

    6. Re:Who Knew ;) by zifn4b · · Score: 1

      I know this is hard for some people to grasp, but there are other reasons to work hard besides "getting rich." The happiest people I've met are those who get to do what they love every day. When you find yourself in that position, working crazy hours and getting immersed in trying to figure something out for days on end, and then actually accomplishing something real *is* a very big part of it. Rich people can't buy that feeling -- it has to be earned.

      No hubris in your post at all. Yes we know Confucius once said "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." The reality is, how many people can find a paying job doing what they love? Not very many it turns out.

      And you know, it turns out that you don't need to get paid to do work you love either. The problem is though if you have bills and you choose to do work that doesn't provide a source of revenue, you get to live as a homeless bum on the street after you get sued into oblivion and lose all your possessions.

      Let's refine your point. There is a need for money to pay taxes, bills, buy food, etc. And there is work. There is paid work and there is not paid work. Both paid work and not paid work can yield a sense of accomplishment and we find from the data that it's the non-paid work that more often gives you that sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Why? Because you don't have to compromise with paying fucking bills that's why. The problem is we don't live in a world that affords us that luxury unless you work real hard, you invest your money wisely and have it pay you guaranteed income and then you can do whatever the hell you want. For many of us, that "work" would be some very serious projects that would yield a great sense of fulfillment and accomplishment and maybe even help our fellow man. It's too bad we have to do a lot of useless, mundane work like creating TPS reports to pay the bills.

      Want to talk about that problem? What's the solution to that one spanky?

      --
      We'll make great pets
    7. Re: Who Knew ;) by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I dunno. Surely someone has thought that. Perhaps their death was due to obesity or atrophy? Maybe they were leaving their family in debt?

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    8. Re: Who Knew ;) by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the more I think about this, the more I'm sure someone has. Picture a person who didn't tend their crops, or someone who was convinced they could have worked their way out of the potato blight. Yeah, I bet lots of people died wishing that they had worked more.

      Some dude plummeting to their death when their chute didn't open? Probably wishing they had worked more to learn how to pack their chute better. Industrial accident? Probably wishing they'd worked harder in school and had a white collar job.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    9. Re: Who Knew ;) by KGIII · · Score: 1

      If I get the chance on my deathbed, I'm going to think that exact thought. I'm even going to tell someone that I'm thinking it - assuming I'm able. We'll nip this stupid expression, right in the bud.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  2. Slacking Off causes Termination by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    Termination of income can cause starvation and death.

    Enjoy being well-rested while you die.

    1. Re:Slacking Off causes Termination by schleimkeim · · Score: 1

      Termination of income can cause starvation and death.

      Only in a few countries.

  3. From the NSS Institute by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a known fact, has been known, has been studied, and is not only common knowledge but also common sense. Another waste of time and money from the No Shit Sherlock Institute of Bloody Obvious Conclusions.

    1. Re:From the NSS Institute by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Wait, that doesn't properly translate to the acronym "BeauHD".

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    2. Re:From the NSS Institute by Viol8 · · Score: 2

      You're assuming this connection hasn't been studied before. Its been studied for decades and there are dozens of papers, the OP is correct.

    3. Re:From the NSS Institute by Keith_Beef · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Except that for the past few decades, the medical establishment has been shouting "factory workers die of heart attacks because they fry their food in lard and the cholesterol blocks their arteries".

      Now that medical research is starting to show that vegetarian office workers are suffering from heart problems, the focus is shifting.

      What I have suspected for a long time (I grew up in a working class environment, many neighbours and family members were shift workers in steel and manufacturing industries) is now being confirmed.

      Stress (poverty, uncertainty about the future, circadian rhythms disrupted by shift work, danger of accidents, macho culture and violence) exacerbated by the self-destructive "coping strategy" of over-consumption of alcohol ("getting a skinful on Friday and Saturday nights") damages the heart muscles, among other things. Over-consumption of refined carbohydrates (white flour and white sugar especially) play havoc with our metabolism, too.

      Salt, dietary cholesterol and animal fats are not the causes that they were claimed to be, and this truth is finally coming out.

      Gary Taubes has done a great job in bringing these truths to the public, but there is still much work to be done.

    4. Re:From the NSS Institute by Kjella · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Meh, truth is you're probably going to die roughly when it's time. I checked the stats here in Norway not that long ago and 70% of the population (from 80% to 10%) die between ages 75 and 95. Of the early deaths there are many due to suicide, traffic accidents and other non-medical conditions, more still due to excessive use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco with a lot of alcohol-induced stupidity leading up to the former. The rest mainly show up as "statistical" diseases, yes if you carry 10 kg too much all your life your heart will work slightly harder and you will give up the ghost a bit sooner. The question is what do you gain and what do you lose by always living the "right" life, if it's only chopping off a bit when you're old and frail anyway.

      In fact, if you baseline the "invariant" death rate based on ages 1-45 (excluding 0-1 as a few are born with fatal defects) only about 4% die from things that would kill a young person, 96% of us at least partially die from old age. Old age and cancer. Old age and heart failure. Old age and respiratory failure. Old age and "harmless" diseases. We're getting constantly better at curing the specific ill that threaten an old person's life but we're not really addressing the accelerating frailty inherent in old age meaning that at some point even a stiff breeze will send you over the edge. And that curtain call is coming no matter how much clean living you do, though there's no reason to kill yourself prematurely there's also no point in thinking it'll give you more than a few years.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    5. Re:From the NSS Institute by jandersen · · Score: 1

      You're assuming this connection hasn't been studied before. Its been studied for decades and there are dozens of papers, the OP is correct.

      No, I'm referring to the fact that scientific research in the vast majority of cases studies something that has already been studied before. Often the reason is to build up statistical reliability, but it always originates from the fundamental truth, that experiments do not prove a theory; you can falsify, but never prove. Also, although the header says 'Long working days can cause heart problems", the actual theory they refer to, will be probing one or more angles in more detail - like, is it because people sit down all day? Is it because of the stress? The exposure to poor, indoor climate? And so on. As another example, take the theory that masses attract each other according to a certain formula first proposed by Isaac Newton; there are still experiments being carried to this day to confirm this, and they are not all demonstrations to students. Very often the researchers are trying to measure the gravitational constant more precisely, or they are trying to do it with a new technique. I mean, how many times has this experiment been carried out already in the last 300 years? But it is still relevant; science is never finished, only religion claims to give final answers.

    6. Re:From the NSS Institute by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      70% of the population (from 80% to 10%) die between ages 75 and 95

      Yeah, but what that doesn't tell you is what their quality if life was like. I'd rather live to 65 and be healthy and active than live to 95 but spend 30 years in pain or with dementia.

      Actually even if I do only live to 65 it will be more than 30 years in pain, since I already started. That's a depressing thought.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:From the NSS Institute by dj245 · · Score: 1

      This is a known fact, has been known, has been studied, and is not only common knowledge but also common sense. Another waste of time and money from the No Shit Sherlock Institute of Bloody Obvious Conclusions.

      The CDC published a rather good metastudy of cardiovascular and other health issues possibly caused by long working hours back in 2004. Direct PDF link

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    8. Re:From the NSS Institute by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Indeed. From your words, my guess would be you live in UK or a commonwealth country; my second guess is that your nations are more like ours than they used to be: No one has ANY job security and people live with a high stress level ALL the time. It's no surprise that life expectancy is dropping, not rising.

    9. Re:From the NSS Institute by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      MOD Parent up.

      I came here to see if they had done any control for the amount of time people were sitting at their jobs. If they didn't then the entire story is misleading.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  4. Re:I'm skeptical by war4peace · · Score: 1

    Genetic differences, I'd guess.
    A couple years ago I was talking to a sports medic, he said they have different charts and thresholds for different races because of genetic differences. i believe the proper word is phenotype? Genotype? Something-something.

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  5. Correlation or Causation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is it because of
    A) the long hours spend there (presumably on your chair), or
    B) your boss shouting at you to get this done by Date X or being fired, or maybe
    C) not getting enough sleep to normalize your cortisol levels, or
    D) not having time to go workout, or perhaps
    E) some of all of the above?

    1. Re: Correlation or Causation? by ChristianKoehler · · Score: 1

      Unhealthy food rushed at railway stations, pizza while working with the pc... And all you mentioned.

  6. Re:I'm skeptical by Keith_Beef · · Score: 1

    Do they?

    It's quite possible that they do, but you'd have to post a link to a paper (not hidden behind a paywall) supporting that affirmation.

  7. Nothing new under the sun by Kergan · · Score: 5, Informative

    They could have asked Japan (or Korea, or China) to learn about documented death by overwork:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  8. Re:I'm skeptical by Kergan · · Score: 2

    Possibly because, often being poorer, their typical diet doesn't match the diet of a typical white.

  9. Re:Forget correlation/causation. Sample bias? by hughbar · · Score: 4, Informative

    See karoshi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    On y va, qui mal y pense!
  10. Is that a long working day? by Chrisq · · Score: 1

    Is that a long working day or a long day browsing SlashDot with some work in between?

  11. Genetics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's not a shock, but at the same time it's a little too easy to translate that to "stop working long hours or you'll die younger." The question is what would you be doing in those extra hours if you had it? Lie around the pool? Watch TV? Train for a marathon?
    I think most of this is driven by how you manage stress and genetics. No question if you feel constantly under (bad) stress at work, the longer you spend there the worse for you. When I went from taking a couple of years off to working a solid 44 hour week that is classic high stress, my blood pressure went *down*. My doctor told me that despite the fact that my job is high pressure (VFX supervision, managing many tasks at once plus also producing shots myself), it's pretty obvious I actually enjoy it and I don't let the stress become "bad" stress. It's not some Tony Robbins bullshit life path thing, I'm just lucky that I'm wired that way.
    I think fundamentals like this get ignored when you do these 8-out-of-10-cats sort of data captures. Focus more on how you deal with stress rather than counting hours.
    In fact, if you act now, you can get my DVD set "Lawlzing Through Your Workday" for the low, low price of...

  12. lifestyle? by ordirules · · Score: 1

    If you're going to discuss long working hours and heart problems, surely should the amount of exercise not also be considered? This is a big misleading. But I always appreciate the articles being shared on slashdot regardless :-)

  13. So how come... by guruevi · · Score: 1

    ... African American people have higher rates of heart disease <its-a-joke>

    But seriously since the study was European you would imagine heart disease would've taken a dip since lower hour work weeks are not just the norm but government enforced. Yet other studies show heart disease rising in European countries.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  14. Sitting is the new smoking by transporter_ii · · Score: 1

    [A] sedentary culture and studies show all that sitting is taking a major toll on employee health.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

    --
    Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
  15. Re:I'm skeptical by butchersong · · Score: 1

    Also could be a relation to vitamin production. Living inside in a northern climate since the migration to cities in the twentieth century might not be ideal if you have enough melanin to protect you from strong rays. The likely have less vitamin d production and the mechanism for that has recently been linked to decreased heard disease.

  16. Most people don't get to do that by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    the vast majority of human beings work hard for nothing. That's not me grousing, it's just cold hard fact. If you're a factory worker in Indonesia you can work as hard as you want. It won't matter. Heck, there's people in India getting kidney failure because they won't take breaks while working the fields.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  17. Publication bias? by gdr · · Score: 1

    Did they only study AF or AF and 19 other health conditions?

  18. Supports other research: too sedentary is bad by DavidHumus · · Score: 1

    For instance, this "couch potato" article from 2008: https://www.newscientist.com/a... (may be paywalled).

    Some ideas what to do about it: https://www.newscientist.com/a... (may be paywalled).

    and this: https://www.newscientist.com/a... (OK - I keep giving NS articles because I subscribe and there's no paywall for me.)