Long work hours ‘bad for the heart’

Risk of irregular heart beat increases by 40%

Working long hours can lead to heart problems, a study has claimed. Researchers found people who work more than 55 hours a week have a 40% higher chance of developing an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation (AF), than those who work shorter hours. AF increases the chance of having a stroke five-fold. The research team, led by Professor Mika Kivimaki from the department of epidemiology at University College London, analysed data on the working patterns of 85,494 mainly middle-aged men and women drawn from the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Participants were put into groups according to their work pattern, with 35-40 hours a week regarded as the control group. Excerpt from Health Insurance Daily, read the full article here.