There are 24 hours in a day, but sometimes, it feels like it’s not enough.
Even though it has been conventionally agreed that people should spend 8 hours at work, there are those who spend way more than that.
At the end of the day, such people may spend the whole 24 hours working, which would not be enough.Â
Overworking is a thing. Yes, working is necessary and even encouraged, but too much of it can be quite destructive. You need to understand that there many adverse health effects of overworking.
Working takes up a lot of energy, physical and mental, and putting yourself in a condition where you are always working can have adverse effects on your health.
It is understandable that many people who overwork do not do so out of choice but to make ends meet. But it is also important to realise the amount of stress you are putting your body under.Â
In today’s post, we would be looking at some of the health effects of overworking.Â
1. Constant fatigueÂ
Perhaps, the most noticeable effect of overworking is that you feel tired all the time.
This means that you would have to force yourself to stay awake while you work.
It also means that you would have very little firm for other things since you may be sleeping when you are not working. Â
2. Poor sleep pattern
In addition to feeling tired all the time, you will also develop a very poor sleep pattern.
This is because you sacrifice sleep time for work. This would cause you to sleep less than recommended. Sometimes, you may even go a day or two without sleeping.Â
Not getting proper sleep would affect your productivity and also make you more irritable, which could affect your relationship with others.Â
In addition, not enough sleep will eventually affect your work performance and work output negatively.
3. Poor eyesight
A condition known as eye strain occurs when your eyes get tired from intense use, and this can be gotten from overworking.
Furthermore, if your work involves staring at a screen, then overworking would make your eyesight poor.
This is because you would spend more hours in a day looking at your screen than anything else. This also leads to chronic headaches.
Your eyes need rest and when work long hours, you put a lot of pressure on your eyes too.
4. Increased risk of heart diseaseÂ
One very big effect of overworking is what it does to your heart.
Studies have shown that people who work more hours than necessary in a day are more at risk of having heart-related problems.
There are also stories of people who have developed heart conditions linked to working long hours.Â
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that working long hours tremendously increased the risk of get stroke and other heart diseases.
Protect your heart by taking some hours off work.Â
5. Stunted postureÂ
Depending on the kind of work you do, it is easy for you to develop a bad posture from working long hours every day.
If your work has you sitting down with your shoulders crouched, then you may develop a bad posture over time.
That is why it is necessary that you take breaks frequently if you are working for long, as well as stretching often.
6. Developing unhealthy habits
Staying up for hours working could lead you to develop certain habits that could impede your health.
This includes taking drugs that would keep you up for longer, which could lead to an addiction.
It could also lead to an unhealthy caffeine addiction, or could cause you to develop bad sleeping habits.
You may also look for other ways to relieve your stress, which could end up putting your health at greater risk.Â
7. Poor mental health
Overworking can significantly impact mental health, leading to heightened stress levels and contributing to the development of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
Chronic overwork can disrupt sleep patterns and limit recovery time, exacerbating these conditions.
Furthermore, working too much may result in burnout, characterized by exhaustion, negativity towards one’s job, and a decline in work performance.
This state of chronic workplace stress underscores the importance of balancing work demands with adequate rest and recovery to maintain mental well-being.
Conclusion
As you have seen there a lot of negative health effects of overworking, which should scare you. They can destroy your health and overall wellbeing.
Working for longer does not always mean you would produce the required results. Try and maximise the little hours you have during the day so you can have enough time afterward for leisure and sleep. Â
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Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
