Study shows how stress at work damages the body – Health

(Web Desk) – We all know what stress at work feels like physically.

Your palms get sweaty, your mind starts racing, and you may find yourself having to sprint to the bathroom at the last minute before an important meeting.

However, many of us are not aware of how much stress can mess up our insides and sometimes cause problems for our bodies in the long run.

Yes, the long hours and thankless tasks could cause more than just headaches.

A new study has found that stress can damage your heart and increase your risk of heart disease.

Considering how many Brits suffer from work-related stress, this is a big problem.

According to the British Health and Safety Authority, stress is now one of the most common reasons for long-term work incapacity.

And together with work-related anxiety, it was responsible for more than 17 million working days lost in the UK in 2021/22, accounting for 51 percent of all cases of work-related ill health in the UK in the same year.

Here are some of the ways stress wreaks havoc on your body:

The heart

Stress at work can double your risk of developing a potentially fatal heart rhythm.

Scientists at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, have found that people who are exposed to high levels of occupational stress and who do not enjoy their work are more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (commonly known as AF or AFib).

Together, these factors were associated with a 97 percent higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation than in workers who were not exposed to stress.
And that’s no small thing – atrial fibrillation can lead to strokes, heart failure and other serious heart problems.

In the UK alone, an estimated 1.4 million people suffer from atrial fibrillation. While it can occur at any age, it is more common in older people, particularly men.

This is not the first time that stress has been linked to heart problems.

A 2023 study published in the journal Circulation found that stressful work can double men's risk of heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks and other complications.

The researchers looked at workload – defined as work with high demands but little control – and the balance between effort and reward.

The brain

It is obvious that stress in any situation can have an impact on the brain.

In fact, a British study found that young workers in high-stress jobs were twice as likely to suffer from severe depression.

Around one in six Britons suffers from depression, with women being around twice as likely to experience mental health problems.

It is the most common mental illness among older people, affecting approximately 22 percent of men and 28 percent of women aged 65 and over.

Scientists at King's College London found a significant increase in cases of major depressive disorders among people with very demanding jobs: 14 percent of women and 10 percent of men were affected.

45 percent of these were directly attributable to stress at work.

The researchers found that the most stressful jobs were not necessarily held by employees in urban companies.

Among those most stressed were chefs in large restaurants, presumably because they had to constantly cope with inflexible schedules and a very public recrimination for their mistakes.

MOST STRESSFUL JOBS: Chefs in large restaurants, teachers, butchers, construction workers, top managers

LEAST STRESSFUL JOBS: Postmen, librarians, hairdressers, legal/accountants, speech therapists

FERTILITY

Work-related stress not only negatively affects your mood, it can also affect your ability to have children.

Over the years, numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether stress can affect fertility, and the results have been mixed.

A 2014 study published in the journal Human Reproduction found that women who reported feeling “very stressed” had a 29 percent lower chance of becoming pregnant than women who were less stressed.

The Ohio University scientists emphasized that stress disrupts ovulation in women and impairs sperm quality in men, potentially making it more difficult for couples to conceive children.

The hormones released during stress, such as cortisol, can affect the reproductive system and thus disrupt the balance.