Working Long Hours is Linked to Stroke Risk

Posted On: 08-09-2019

A recent study published in the scientific journal Stroke has found that working long hours can link to an increased risk of stroke. For the purpose of this study, “long work hours” was defined as working a minimum of ten hours a day for at least 50 days per year.

The increased stroke risk was especially true if one worked long days regularly for ten years or more. Individuals under the age of 50 years who had worked long hours for at least a decade had an even higher risk.

To perform this study, the researchers analyzed data from a French population-based study performed in 2012. A total of 143,592 individuals between the ages of 18 and 69 were surveyed and asked to provide information about their gender, smoking habits, and work schedules. Medical histories were evaluated to account for previous strokes or cardiovascular risk factors.

Of the study participants, 42 percent (42,542 individuals) reported working long hours, and ten percent reported working long hours for ten years or longer. Of these participants, 1,224 of them suffered a stroke.

Those working long hours had a 29 percent greater chance of stroke, and those who had worked long hours for over a decade had a 45 percent increased risk.
According to Dr. Alexis Descatha, the study’s lead author and a researcher at Paris Hospital, Versailles and Angers University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, the increased risk for those under 50 years of age was unexpected.

This increased risk can be relevant for healthcare providers who typically work long hours, and may be less likely to affect executives who have the ability to set their own hours.

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