It’s official: Work stress can kill you

We’ve all heard the stories, but now science has confirmed it’s true – a stressful job can give you a heart attack.

According to iTWire, University College London researchers have proved a definite link between work stress and coronary heart disease in a 12-year study of British workers aged between 35 and 55.

The researchers found out how stressed subjects were at work by asking various questions with regard to their work schedules, job demands and amount of control over their jobs, with several surveys conducted over a 12-year period.

They found that 32% of coronary heat disease symptoms were attributable to the effect of work stress on health behaviours and the metabolic syndrome, while people under severe work pressure from heavy workloads and little control over their jobs were 68% more likely to suffer from heart problems.

The effect of work stress on health was two-fold; not only does the stress itself directly affect the heart, it also often causes a range of unhealthy behaviours such as unhealthy food, lack of exercise, excessive drinking, and smoking.