Working more than 8 hours affects health

• May 4, 2024

The European countries with shorter working days (Holland, Germany and Belgium) showed higher productivity per hour worked than the rest of the countries, according to the study of the IESE-ADECCO Euro Index (EIL) in 2007, in which it is also determined that there is a negative relationship between an extended working day and the productivity .

A working day of 8 hours or more restricts the time that a person can devote to activities necessary for physical, mental and emotional health, with different conditions that affect the quality with which he performs.
 

To work more than 8 hours can raise the risk of depression three times. According to an investigation of the Marianna Virtanen, University College London . "The extra hours would cause greater exposure to stress, and at the same time keep us away from family and friends, which would cause a feeling of loneliness and depression."

A workday of this type keeps us exposed to stress, sedentary lifestyle and junk food, and leave us less time to exercise and rest, as well as affecting our brain :

There is a relationship between the prefrontal cortex (area behind the forehead) and the amygdala. The more stress we have, the more dopamine and norepinephrine (two important neurotransmitters) will be released into the prefrontal cortex, so that you become more disorganized, aggressive and impulsive, depending on the site eexcellence.es

Considering that the main functions of the prefrontal cortex are memorizing, deciding, planning, prioritizing and behaving appropriately, working more than 8 hours makes you more inefficient and more difficult to treat.

In addition, according to researchers from the Laval University , in Canada, with long days of work , causes the employee, regardless of their effort, feel overwhelmed by the work, causing deep frustration and disappointment. It's about the call Burnout or professional burnout syndrome, according to the site runrun.es

Have a workday of more than 8 hours or working in a stressful environment, is also related to a lower quality of sleep. "Lack of sleep will cause cognitive and brain damage, in addition to raising the risk of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes," according to the Dr. Hannah Knudsen of the University of Georgia .

In this sense, the risk of heart attack 67%, according to various studies by scientists of the University College of London .

Another factor that affects the cardiovascular health is the sedentary lifestyle , for spending more than 8 hours sitting, because it drastically reduces the amount of calories burned, raising the risk of obesity, insulin resistance and high cholesterol , explains the Dr. James Levine, from Mayo Clinic.

For all the above, the reduction of workday 6 hours favors the intensity of work and reduces work leisure spaces that can generate a negative burden on the environment, according to pijamasurf.com; In addition, it benefits a better quality of life for the worker, which raises his productivity .

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Video Medicine: The Importance of Sleep: 8 Scientific Health Benefits of Sleep + Sleeping Tips (May 2024).