Work harder, die sooner!

Connemara · Apr 6, 2011

Finally, I have a legitimate excuse for doing nothing on the job!

http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/0...or-your-heart/

A new study found that people who worked 11 hours or more a day were 67% more likely to have a heart attack or die of one over an average 12 years of follow-up, compared with people who worked standard seven- or eight-hour days.

The study followed more than 7,000 British civil service workers aged 39 to 62 who originally signed up between 1991 and 1993. At the start of the study, none of the participants had heart disease. Researchers screened the group for heart disease every five years until 2004, and also consulted hospital data and registries to track rates of heart attack and death. By the end of the study, 29 participants had died of heart disease and 163 had had heart attacks.

The 11-hour mark appeared to be key. Those who worked relatively long days "” up to 10 hours a day "” were not at significantly higher heart risk than those who worked less. But once workers crossed the 11-hour threshold, their heart disease risk went up.

kwilkinson · Apr 6, 2011

What a groundbreaking finding.

L.R. · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

What a groundbreaking finding.

I wouldn't treat it like that.... Sure it's easy to say "Work longer, suffer more", but it's another to say it with statistical back up. And a lot of studies simply disprove "common knowledge" things like this.

It's interesting it's set in Britain. Isn't the work environment (both hours and weeks per year) typically shorter there?

Piobaire · Apr 6, 2011

So what this is telling me is that all civil servants need to have 12 hour days mandated.

StephenHero · Apr 6, 2011

My tipping point is right around 9 hours. Usually right around that time I get irritable and frustrated. After that, my brain just becomes worthless. I spend most of the time working on very non-specific tasks and after too long I just lose all ability to focus my attention on a specific problem or think critically about what I'm doing. If I step away and come back later, decisions and work start to do themselves and it's always a feeling like "Of course. Why would I have thought otherwise?"

Dakota rube · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by Piobaire

So what this is telling me is that all civil servants need to have 12 hour days mandated.

At least make sure it is applied to Congress.

imageWIS · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by StephenHero

My tipping point is right around 9 hours. Usually right around that time I get irritable and frustrated. After that, my brain just becomes worthless. I spend most of the time working on very non-specific tasks and after too long I just lose all ability to focus my attention on a specific problem or think critically about what I'm doing. If I step away and come back later, decisions and work start to do themselves and it's always a feeling like "Of course. Why would I have thought otherwise?"
This. Sometimes you just need a break. The trick isn't to work harder, its to worker smarter*. *I can't believe I just wrote that.

sho'nuff · Apr 6, 2011

i function at the highest in the morning. perhaps the first 3 hours of the day. after that, it drops off steadily until right around the 8 hour mark. but it may be psychological, as im conditioned to think im ending my day upon 8 hours.

StephenHero · Apr 6, 2011

I'm a morning and late night person, which is a tough schedule to follow. Between 8PM and 9AM, I'm sharp. I would love to work a graveyard shift.

Piobaire · Apr 6, 2011

The secret is to vary the length of your days. If I pull two 14 hour days, which two in a row now is quite rare, I'm gone by noon on Friday. I usually work 10 hour days Mon-Thurs, although I usually have at least one evening meeting a week, but I do try and skip out by 3 on most Fridays. If I have to work on a weekend, I'm taking a three day weekend the following week.

You can do a steady 50 hours a week if you just mix it up. It's five 10 hour days that get burdensome.

Concordia · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by Connemara

Finally, I have a legitimate excuse for doing nothing on the job!

http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/0...or-your-heart/

The Social Security plan that addresses revenues and expenses.

norcaltransplant · Apr 6, 2011

Sweet, this ensures I won't outlive my retirement. Or, quite possibly, never get to enjoy it.

Eason · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by Piobaire

So what this is telling me is that all civil servants need to have 12 hour days mandated.

LOLOL

Connemara · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by Piobaire

So what this is telling me is that all civil servants need to have 12 hour days mandated.
As long as I get an exemption, OK. I just wanna get mine!

JayJay · Apr 6, 2011

Originally Posted by StephenHero

I'm a morning and late night person, which is a tough schedule to follow. Between 8PM and 9AM, I'm sharp. I would love to work a graveyard shift.
I do my best thinking very early in the morning and very late at night.

Work harder, die sooner!

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