Its is no secret that we live in a world just obsessed with work. Our culture prides itself in working 14 hours daily. We work to an outrageous degree as if the competition will win over if we do not work for exorbitant hours to impress the world and of course, our superiors. It does not matter to many that we may be under tremendous amount of stress in bargain for an iota of social esteem, but long working hours can be detrimental to your health. A study has revealed that constant work stress could even cause cancer.
The study by the INRS (Institut Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique) and the University of Montreal has warned that work related stress increases the risk of lung, stomach, rectal, colon cancer and Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The researchers studied workers who have held up to 4 jobs leading up to twelve hours in their working time. They found links up to 11 types of cancers. These associations were studied in men who were exposed to stress at work for 15-30 years. However, the connection between work stress and cancer was not seen in men with who had held stressful jobs for less than 15 years. The findings were published in the journal Preventive Medicine.
Firefighters, mechanics, industrial and aerospace engineers are one of the most stressful job profiles in the market today. Stress levels vary in every individual depending on the nature of their job. Study researchers were successfully able to monitor changes related to work stress.
The participants expressed that stress was not only because of the heavy job profile and time constraints, but also due to factors like worker’s temperament, job and financial security, supervision, interpersonal conflict that were taken by the researchers as a source of stress.Previous cancer related studies never assessed how work related stress for longer periods lead to cancer, making it difficult to estimate the impact of work on cancer. This study emphasizes that work stress needs to be monitored at different periods in time.
People experiencing work related stress may turn to smoking and alcohol which in turn can compound the risk of these cancers. Many previous studies had concluded that there was no link between stress in the workplace leading to cancers and also, no correlation that addictions could cause cancer in workers.
It has now become imperative that one finds ways to managing stress at workplace like following a healthy routine, doing some yoga exercises, meditation.
Deadlines can wait for now. Life most certainly will not.
Here are 5 stress buster videos that will help you relax!
