by Workplace stress can literally kill you, say researchers who have found a link between workplace strain and serious heart rhythm disorders.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, someone who works in a high-stress, low-paying job has a 97 percent increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
Researchers examined health database data from nearly 6,000 office workers in Canada.
It was shown that high levels of stress at work alone were associated with an 83 percent higher risk of developing heart disease.
And if you are not rewarded for your hard work, such as receiving a low salary or little recognition, the risk is 44 percent higher.
Researchers found that high workload alone is associated with an 83 percent higher risk of developing heart disease
Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib or AF, is a serious condition that disrupts the regular rhythm of the heart and, if left untreated, can lead to potentially fatal heart failure. It can result in stroke or other cardiovascular complications.
More than 1.5 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, but it is estimated that there are at least 270,000 more people who are undiagnosed and unaware of the condition.
In the United States, it is predicted that more than 12 million people will suffer from atrial fibrillation by 2030.
Previous research has linked high workload and effort-reward imbalance in the workplace to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
This research is the first to examine the negative effects of stress and lack of appreciation in the workplace on atrial fibrillation, said the study’s lead author, Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist and associate professor at Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
“Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors that should be included in prevention strategies,” said Dr. Trudel.
“Recognizing and addressing psychosocial stressors in the workplace is necessary to promote a healthy work environment that benefits both individual workers and the organizations in which they work.”
The researchers examined the effects of job strain, which is defined as a work environment in which employees face high demands such as heavy workloads and tight deadlines, and have little control over their work and say in decisions and the execution of their tasks.
Another factor examined in the study was effort-reward imbalance, which occurs when employees put a lot of effort into their work but feel that the rewards they receive—such as salary, recognition, or job security—are inadequate or not commensurate with their performance.
A total of 5,926 employees – including an equal proportion of men and women – were included in the analysis.
Their average age was 45 years at the start of the study in 1999 and 65 years at the end in 2018.
The analysis identified 186 cases of atrial fibrillation. Within this group, 19 percent of those affected reported high levels of stress at work, 25 percent said they had perceived an imbalance between effort and reward, and 10 percent reported having experienced both stress factors at the same time.
More than a third of the participants had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or heart failure before the onset of atrial fibrillation.
However, researchers found that introducing flexible working hours and holding meetings to discuss everyday challenges lowered blood pressure.
“The effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce psychosocial stressors, which may also reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, should be investigated in future research,” said Dr. Trudel.
“Our research team previously conducted an organizational intervention to reduce psychosocial stressors in the workplace, which was shown to be effective in reducing blood pressure.
“Examples of organizational changes implemented during the intervention included slowing down the implementation of a large project to avoid increased workload, introducing flexible working hours, and holding meetings between managers and employees to discuss daily challenges.”
However, because the participants were all Canadians and worked in white-collar occupations, such as office workers, the study authors acknowledged that the results may not be generalizable to other types of workers or to workers in other countries.
