Heart disease and overtime

SOYMB has recently posted on the consequences of working in capitalism upon the workers health and now another report has confirmed the risks.

People who regularly put in overtime and work 10 or 11-hour days increase their heart disease risk by nearly two-thirds.The findings come from a study of 6,000 British civil servants.

After accounting for known heart risk factors such as smoking, doctors found those who worked three to four hours of overtime a day ran a 60% higher risk. Researchers said there could be a number of explanations for this. People who spend more time at work have less time to exercise, relax and unwind.They may also be more stressed, anxious, or have depression.

"Employees who work overtime may also be likely to work while ill - that is, be reluctant to be absent from work despite illness," they add.

Cathy Ross, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study raises further questions about how our working lives can influence our risk of heart disease."

Dr John Challenor, from the Society of Occupational Medicine, said: "...work/life balance plays a vital role in well-being."

SOYMB can say with an amount of certainty , that exploitation under capitalism will always fail to provide that much needed balance.