Working for 11 hours a day linked to higher risk of stroke

A tired worker. Death from overworking is believed to result from a repetitive triggering of the body’s stress response mechanism. PHOTO | FILE | FOTOSEARCH 

By SARAH OOKO

In Summary

• Working trends in Kenya have changed over the years with a majority of employees working for more than eight hours a day. Some work through the weekends.
• To curb the adverse effects of stress, the WHO urges organisations to ensure that job demands and pressure matches employees’ knowledge and abilities.
• Doctors are also advising employees to set realistic targets for themselves, develop proper time management skills and build self discipline to allow them have work-life balance.

Working for 55 hours or more weekly increases chances of getting heart diseases and stroke, a new study published in the Lancet journal has revealed.

The findings show that working for 55 hours or more weekly is linked to a 33 per cent chance of stroke and a 13 per cent increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, compared to the normal working time of 35 to 40 hours a week.

These two conditions alone contribute to over 70 per cent of deaths arising from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Working trends in Kenya have changed over the years with a majority of employees working for more than eight hours a day. Some work through the weekends.

The study’s researchers analysed data from 603,838 men who were followed for up to eight years. All these people were free from either stroke or coronary heart disease at the beginning of the study but those who worked long hours later developed any of the two conditions.

In Kenya, CVD is the second leading cause of death after infectious diseases. Some causes of CVD – such as obesity or diabetes – are known but many are unaware that overworking is also a major risk factor.

After being jobless for two years, James Masinde got a job at an international company.

At the beginning, office work seemed normal albeit challenging and he was determined to work hard and increase productivity in the organisation that had given him another “lease of life”.

But after a three-month probation period, Mr Masinde began feeling the pressures of his new job.

He discovered that upon firing four employees in the finance department as a cost-cutting measure, the company had subsequently decided to employ just one person (him) to single-handedly perform duties formerly done by the previous team.

“The work was intense and it never seemed to end. I would come to the office at five in the morning and leave at around 10pm while still carrying work home,” he said.

Mr Masinde said that his complaints yielded no fruit. And his boss kept sending him to meetings the whole day, which left him with minimal time to attend to the ever piling work on his desk.

“My life came to a halt. I had no time for family and friends or other social activities. I was literally working on adrenaline at all times, with constant headaches that never seemed to cease,” he said.

The ordeal came to an end one Friday afternoon when Mr Masinde collapsed in the office while coming back from one of the many meetings he was accustomed to attending. He was diagnosed with a heart problem.

“This was a wake-up call. After I left the hospital I immediately handed in my resignation letter and never looked back. I realised that life is more important. You can have money but be absent in family life or worse still die and leave your loved ones behind too soon.”

Mr Masinde is among the thousands of Kenyans now suffering from CVD, which collectively refers to a group of ailments affecting heart and blood vessels such as heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

Symptoms of stroke include trouble walking, speaking and understanding, as well as paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg.

Elijah Ogola, a consultant cardiologist at Kenyatta National Hospital, said awareness on the symptoms and prompt medical intervention as soon as people experience the symptoms is paramount to managing the condition.

“The earlier one comes to hospital, the lower the risk of death and the higher the chances of full recovery and return to normalcy,” he said.

He noted that stroke patients often need to go through additional medical interventions like speech therapy if the illness interfered with their ability to speak, as well as physiotherapy to reverse partial paralysis.

According to the World Health Organisation, pressure at the workplace is unavoidable due to the demands of the contemporary work environment. Sometimes minimal pressure perceived as acceptable by employees may keep them alert, motivated and able to meet set deadlines and targets.

But when that pressure becomes excessive or unmanageable, it leads to stress which can damage employees’ health and business performance.

To curb the adverse effects of stress, the WHO urges organisations to ensure that job demands and pressure matches employees’ knowledge and abilities.

Supervisors should also support employees to attain organisational goals while allowing them to participate in decisions pertaining to their jobs. Allowing employees to own and control projects assigned to them is also encouraged since overbearing and controlling bosses heighten stress levels.

Doctors are also advising employees to set realistic targets for themselves, develop proper time management skills and build self discipline to allow them have work-life balance.

Prof Mika Kivimäki, the lead author of the study from University College London, called on health professionals to be aware of the over-work risk factor.

The researchers stated that sudden death from overworking – often caused by stroke – is believed to result from a repetitive triggering of the body’s stress response mechanism, which happens when one is continually working under duress.

According to the study, behavioural mechanisms such as physical inactivity might also link long working hours to stroke because people usually sit for long periods while executing various assignments at the office.

The scientists noted that heavy alcohol consumption – a risk factor for all types of strokes – might also be a contributing factor because employees working for longer hours seem to be slightly more prone to risky drinking.

Studies have also shown that individuals who overwork are more likely to ignore symptoms of CVD due to their extremely busy schedules.

The researchers recommended that more attention should be paid to the management of CVD risk factors in employees who work for long hours in organisations.

“I was lucky that the ambulance arrived on time and I got medical attention fast,” he said.