Workplace Stress and Your Heart- What you need to know.

  Not only can your blood pressure rise as your stress level goes up but recently released

research indicates that stressful jobs increase a woman's risk of performing poorly on her cholesterol test.

Over a 15 year period researchers tracked the medical records of 12,116 female nurses when the nurses were aged 45 to 64.  The nurses were asked to rate the level of personal influence and pressure their jobs demanded.

The women who said their job was a little too stressful were 25 percent more likely to be admitted to a hospital for heart disease, while women who report their work as much too stressful were 50 percent more likely to have heart problems.

Amazingly the report said that younger women were more likely to be affected by stress levels at work, despite the fact that heart disease is generally a more prominent problem in older individuals.

Other studies have shown that work related stress levels increase the risk of heart disease in men, but this is the first study to confirm that the same holds true for women, as well.

Working 10  or 12 hours a day?

New research shows that people working 10 or 11 hours a day are more likely to suffer serious heart problems, including heart attacks, than those clocking off after seven hours, researchers said on Tuesday.

An 11-year study of 6,000 British civil servants, shows a clear link between  long hours and coronary heart disease  which experts said may be due to stress.

In the study the  risk of having a heart related problem such as heart disease, heart attack and angina was 60% higher for those who worked three to four hours overtime.

According to Dr. Marianna Vitanen, an epidemiologist at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, there does not seem to be an associated risk with working one or two hours more than your normal  seven hour day.

Virtanen said it was possible the lifestyle of people working long hours deteriorated over time, for example as a result of poor diet or increased alcohol consumption and lack of exercise.

Long hours may be associated with work-related stress, which interferes with metabolic processes, as well as "sickness presenteeism," whereby employees continue working when they are ill.

What can you do? Find out How to Reduce Stress at Work

Return from Workplace Stress Affects Your Heart to Stress in the Workplace

 Solutions?

Bring Stress Management  programs to your office. Take a 30 Day Stress Hardy program on line.

Other Resources:

Become Stress Hardy

Yerkes Dodson Law

Focus and Concentration

Dealing with Stress

Workplace Stress affects your Heart

How to reduce stress at work

Lunch and Learn Workshops- Houston

Chair Massage for Your Office

Stress Management

Time Management

Motivate your Sales Team