According to researchers who found a link between work stress and serious heart rhythm disturbances, stress at work can literally be fatal.
People who work in high-stress, low-reward jobs are 97 percent more likely to develop the problem known as atrial fibrillation, according to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers examined medical database data from nearly 6,000 office workers in Canada.
This showed that a high workload alone was associated with an 83 percent higher risk of developing heart disease.
In addition, the risk increased by 44 percent if you were not rewarded solely for your hard work, for example through a low salary or little recognition.
Researchers found that high work pressure alone was linked to an 83 percent higher risk of developing the heart condition
Also known as AFib or AF, atrial fibrillation is a serious condition that causes disruptions to the normal heart rhythm and, if left untreated, can lead to potentially fatal heart failure. It can lead to stroke or other cardiovascular complications.
More than 1.5 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with AF. However, it is estimated that there are at least 270,000 people in the UK who are undiagnosed and unaware of it.
In the US, more than 12 million people are expected to have AF by 2030.
Previous research has shown that high workload and an imbalance between effort and reward at work are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
This research is the first to examine the negative impact of both stress and devaluation at work on atrial fibrillation, said Xavier Trudel, the study’s lead investigator, an epidemiologist in occupational and cardiovascular diseases and associate professor at Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
“Our research suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies,” said Dr. Trudel.
‘Recognizing and addressing psychosocial stressors at work is necessary to create a healthy work environment that benefits both the individual employee and the organization in which he or she works.’
Researchers studied the impact of work pressure. This means that employees in a work environment are confronted with high demands, such as high workload and tight deadlines. They also have little say in their work and little say in decision-making and the execution of their tasks.
Another factor assessed in the study was effort-reward imbalance. This occurs when employees put a lot of effort into their work, but perceive the rewards they receive in return—such as pay, recognition, or job security—as insufficient or unequal to their performance.
A total of 5,926 employees, an equal mix of men and women, were included in the analysis.
Their average age was 45 years at the start of the study in 1999 and 65 years at the end of the study in 2018.
The analysis identified 186 cases of AF. Of this group, 19 percent of AF sufferers reported high workloads. 25 percent reported experiencing an imbalance between effort and reward. 10 percent reported experiencing both stressors simultaneously.
More than one-third of participants had already been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or heart failure before their AF incident.
However, researchers found that implementing flexible working hours and holding meetings to discuss daily challenges lowered blood pressure.
“The effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce psychosocial stressors that may also reduce the risk of AF should be examined in future research,” Dr. Trudel said.
‘Our research team previously conducted an organizational intervention to reduce psychosocial stressors at work, which was shown to be effective in lowering blood pressure.
‘Examples of organizational changes implemented during the intervention included slowing down the implementation of a major project to avoid increasing workload, introducing flexible working hours, and holding meetings between managers and employees to discuss daily challenges.’
Because all participants were Canadian and had office jobs, the study authors acknowledged that the results may not apply to other types of workers or to workers in other countries.