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If the title grabbed your attention, it was supposed to. Its the hardest battle for you.. and it doesn't need to be. Are you working too hard and making it impossible for yourself to get healthy.
Jobs are tough, work is hard, but we all have to provide for our families. “Correct”.
That being said prolonged working doing repetitive tasks for long periods can create all sorts of damage to our health. Constant nightshift can create health issues and possible even shorten your life.
Some working environments are not good either, for example seating that isn't ergonomic for your job. Concentrating and staring at a screen for long periods of time.
{There are a number of links in this blog with evidence and products - {Brackets}}
. Lets talk about some of these problems & any solutions !
- Prolonged work can lead to insufficient rest for your mind, body & poor sleep habits, one of the less well known results of constant lengthy work is the increase of risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Anyone you know at work that has gained the condition whilst being at their current job?
- If like a lot of people and you live for the weekends and your work life balance is all work, you are much more likely to suffer from depression. One such {study} found that people working 11 hours where more likely to battle depression than those working 8 hours. If you are depressed often you will be stressed too, a stressed or anxious individual will be living their life in the sympathetic nervous system. If a sympathetic nervous system (flight-fright-freeze-fornicate) is overactive can lead to health conditions such as hypertension, heart failure but more often obesity and diabetes.
- Nightshift is sometimes essential in todays fast paced life, however we should understand that it does damage our health and probably shorten our lives. Thousands of years of evolution have designated hormonally that we sleep when its dark and work when its light . Swapping working in the dark instead of light is us fighting against all of our hormones and biological clock to stay awake and concentrate. Some of the issues easily related to long periods of nightshift are.
- Increase in risk of diabetes
- Increase in risk of obesity
- Increased Cancer risk
- Damage or up or down-regualtion of metabolic hormones
- Increased risk of injury
- Depression increase
- Ergonomic workspace Sitting all day, staring at screen or inputting information without regular breaks can causing health problems. If your workstation isnt ergonomically sound it can worsen issues such as;
- Poor posture and circulation
- Lower back pain
- Repetative use injuries to wrists and hands
- Knee pain due to insufficient leg room
- Diet and exercise So we have talked about some the health factors and increased health risks related to prolonged working hours in a stressful enviroment. Exercising and eating well are difficult even at the best of times, however after 10, 14 or more hours of work its almost impossible to exercise or prepare healthy food or meal prep for the next day. Which can lead to poor food choices constant take aways and energy drinks. Just a health ticking time bomb really.
Are we doomed ? what can we do ?
Well , not gonna lie it is way way harder to be healthy in these sort of jobs...Not impossible! what can we do to try and reduce these health risks?
- Use of free time don’t get drunk all weekend, utilise this time for exercise, relaxation, sleep, fresh air and home cooked meals... re-align the balance slightly. Also talking to people, mindset exercises or talking therapies.
- Sort out your micro nutrients {Vitamins and minerals are essentia} for normal healthy life, they ensure our bodily functions work, including things such as energy and concentration. Order decent strong multi vitamins, ensuring to have a good B vitamin selection and Co enzyme Q10 (reduce risk heart disease and strokes). Make them your morning routine... after brushing teeth with breakfast or first cuppa of the day. Try {nourished vitamin stacks}
- Macronutrients or diet Try meal prep on the weekend or ordering meals from companies such as {muscle food}{ or heaven & health}
- Work station problems Be selfe aware, if you start getting pain, or numbness or other issues speak to your occupational health rep or HR. Get your workspace assessed. Prolonged poor posture can cause real health problems, the amount of chronic back problems initially caused by poor work posture is staggering
- Nightshift Understand its a probable life shortener and try to limit nightshift to shorter frequencies. Atleast try to eat healthily and take micronutrients daily.
- Exercise Join a local gym if feasible, or....this is what I would do “10 sets of 10 exercises through-out the day such as press. German volume training works, you may look silly but you can retain muscle. I managed this method in a busy energy sector job.
SO...... its not all doom and gloom, be aware it takes more planning, management and motivation to remain healthy in a demanding job. “GOOD LUCK”
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