Stress at work can do more than just make you nervous or give you a heavy dose of the “Sunday Scares.” A new study finds that it can also affect the heart.
According to research published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, job stress is associated with a greater chance of developing the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm.
Study co-author Mathilde Lavigne-Robichaud told Yahoo Life that this adds to the body of research showing that work stress plays a significant role in overall health. “Evidence, including from this study, suggests that work-related stressors are an important risk factor for heart disease, similar to how smoking would be considered in a patient’s history,” she says.
What does the study say?
The researchers analyzed medical database records, including 18 years of follow-up data, from nearly 6,000 adults in white-collar jobs in Canada. They found that employees who said they suffered from high stress at work had an 83% greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation (or A-fib), which is the most common form of arrhythmiaor an abnormal heart rhythm. Employees who reported feeling an “effort-reward imbalance” – meaning they didn’t feel their work performance was fairly compensated with things like “salary, recognition, or job security” – had a 44% greater risk of developing A -fib. And white-collar workers who reported feeling both job tension and an imbalance between effort and reward had a 97% higher risk.
“The main conclusion of this study is that reducing psychosocial stressors at work, such as job tension and the imbalance between effort and reward, can be a crucial strategy to [A-fib] prevention,” says Lavigne-Robichaud. “It is important to note that the increased risk of [A-fib] it was not due to other existing cardiovascular diseases, which makes this finding particularly significant.”
More than 12 million people are predicted to have A-fib in the U.S. by 2030, according to the American Heart Association. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, or palpitations or pounding in the chest. Atrial fibrillation can also increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.
The study authors add that recognizing and addressing work stressors can be an effective way to prevent fibromyalgia. And while it’s impossible to completely eliminate stress at work, experts say there are some things you can do to reduce it:
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Focus on your own reward. If you feel like you’re not getting enough out of your job, remember why you’re working. “You can amplify the sense of reward from your work, for example, by making sure you have photos of your family, or your vacation goals, or a photo that symbolizes being debt-free — whatever the reason, you’re working,” Chloe Carmichael, clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxietyhe told Yahoo Life. “That way, in each moment, you can feel more connected to the larger reward you’re working toward.”
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Take a break. “Small breaks during the workday are important, such as a brisk walk, a hydration break or a few minutes of meditation and slowing down your breathing and thoughts,” John Staleydeputy director of the North Carolina Center for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research, told Yahoo Life. “If necessary, set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind yourself to get up, do some stretches, go for a short walk, or talk to coworkers.” And if physically stepping away from work isn’t an option, try mentally checking in for a few minutes. “Even closing your eyes for 30 seconds in a quiet, peaceful environment can sometimes help,” Dr.director of the Stanford Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Stanford Medicine, told Yahoo Life.
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Keep a diary. Staley also suggests keeping a journal — not just to manage stress triggers, but also to record small personal victories. “A compliment from a co-worker, student, boss or client? Write. Receive a promotion, award or recognition for a job well done, or your child is on the school team or your spouse [or] Does your significant other have a happy outcome at work or home? Write in your journal,” says Staley. “Sometimes looking at the positives can reset our thinking.”
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Reevaluate your workspace. Staley says cleaning your desk or office can also help ease your mental load. “Take a moment and assess your work environment to see what factors are likely impacting your work-related stress,” he says. “Do you have a comfortable workspace free from clutter and distractions?”
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Consider job hunting. And if work stress and anxiety is really getting to you, Carmichael says it might mean it’s time to scrap your resume and look for something new. “The healthy function of anxiety is to stimulate preparedness behaviors. So if you’re stressed about your job, that might also encourage you to say, ‘Is this stress, this challenge, worth the reward?’”
What employers and management can do:
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Give employees options. Carmichael suggests talking to employees about their work preferences. Some people may enjoy working through lunch at their desk to end the day early, while others will stay longer if it means having a full hour off for lunch. “If you can give your employees options, it doesn’t just mean they’re getting a work style that suits them—you’re also increasing their sense of control, which helps reduce stress,” she says.
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Help them prioritize. Carmichael also recommends helping employees assess their workload to figure out what can be addressed later. “Sometimes it can be surprising for managers to discover all these things piling up on employees’ plates,” she says. “And this has the dual benefit of not only practical allocation of the employee’s workload, but also the benefit of the employee feeling seen and heard and having a relationship with management.”
