If you spend countless hours at the office, your risk of heart disease is higher. Researchers analyzed over 1,900 individuals and found that 43 percent had been diagnosed with a cardiovascular-related problem. The risk among full-time workers increased one percent for every additional hour of work they did over 10 years of work.
Baseline work hours were considered 46 hours a week and every additional hour resulted in an increased risk of heart disease. Compared to those who worked 45 hours a week for 10 years, those who worked 55 hours had 16 percent higher risk of heart disease, and 34 percent higher risk in those who worked 60 hours.
The study only focused on full-time workers and did not include part-time workers, so it is unclear if the results would be the same.
Study author Sadie Conway concluded, “This study provides specific evidence on long work hours and an increase [in] the risk of CVD, thereby providing a foundation for CVD prevention efforts focused on work schedule practices, which may reduce the risk of CVD for millions of working Americans.”