Frequent smoke breaks are not as harmful as hard work

Working hard is dangerous for the heart

ABC MagazineAmericans are more likely to stay late at work, take fewer days off and retire later, compared to workers in other developed countries around the world.

Against the background of such an exhausting career, it is not surprising that there is an increase in the number of cases of professional burnout – physical, cognitive and emotional exhaustion as a result of constant stress at work. It is known that as a result of such burnout, the risk of obesity, insomnia and anxiety increases. A new study has added another problem to this list – an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), which leads to the development of angina or heart attack.

The work was carried out by Dr. Sharon Toker from Tel Aviv University, her results are published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine (Burnout and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Prospective Study of 8838 Employees). The study involved 8838 apparently healthy working men and women aged 19 to 67 years. Using a special rating scale, the researchers assessed the degree of professional burnout in each participant. Over the course of 3 years, all participants regularly underwent a full medical examination by all doctors, including a re-assessment on the professional burnout scale. During the study, 93 new cases of coronary heart disease were identified.

The results showed that professional burnout of any degree increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 40 percent. However, those workers who are in the top 20 percent of this scale have a 79 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease. According to the researcher, this is a terrifying discovery. The impact of work on wear and tear on the development of coronary heart disease turned out to be much stronger than the researchers could have assumed, and left behind such well-known risk factors as smoking, high blood lipids and lack of physical activity.

Among the factors contributing most to professional burnout are constant stress, high level of responsibility, heavy workload, lack of emotional support and constant overwork. As a result, the internal resources of the body are depleted, and it gradually weakens. Over time, these phenomena are chronicled. The authors of the study note that doctors should adopt this knowledge. If the doctor knows that his patient works hard and hard at work, he should be closely monitored in order to identify the first symptoms of coronary heart disease. Employees themselves should also prioritize their lives more correctly and put their own health first.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.03.2013