Poor sleep mixed with work stress is a dangerous combination
| Apr 30, 2019, 12:37 IST
With the kind of hectic routines that we all are having, many of us suffer from lack of adequate sleep and dealing with work stress. And guess what the combination of these two can do? It can increase the risk of cardiovascular death as a result of high blood pressure.
We all know that work stress is already quite dangerous to our body and sleeping for lesser hours than what our body demands is also an unhealthy practice to follow. And it worsens the situation even more for people who suffer from hypertension when sleep issue and work stress combines.
According to a new study, the combination of both can result in cardiovascular death for people who have hypertension. Says Karl-Heinz Ladwig, an author at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health and the Medical Faculty, Technical University of Munich, "Sleep should be a time for recreation, unwinding, and restoring energy levels. If you have stress at work, sleep helps you recover. Unfortunately poor sleep and job stress often go hand in hand, and when combined with hypertension the effect is even more toxic."
Work stress is when people have high demanding jobs and low control. Jobs that have high expectation and workers who aren't at the position of making decisions. Said Ladwig, "If you have high demands but also high control, in other words you can make decisions, this may even be positive for health. But being entrapped in a pressured situation that you have no power to change is harmful."
Lack of sleep is where people find it hard to fall asleep or even stay asleep for a longer time. Ladwig informed, "Maintaining sleep is the most common problem in people with stressful jobs. They wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning to go to the toilet and come back to bed ruminating about how to deal with work issues."
He also continued to say, "These are insidious problems. The risk is not having one tough day and no sleep. It is suffering from a stressful job and poor sleep over many years, which fade energy resources and may lead to an early grave."
"Each condition is a risk factor on its own and there is cross-talk among them, meaning each one increases risk of the other. Physical activity, eating healthily and relaxation strategies are important, as well as blood pressure lowering medication if appropriate," he further explained.
Most people don't really have the luxury to change jobs just because of issues like these and so the problem increases even more which leads to the risk of cardiovascular diseases in people who suffer from hypertension. This is why there's a big need for employers to inculcate stress management at workplace so that workers can at least ease out their work stress which can also promote better sleep.
We all know that work stress is already quite dangerous to our body and sleeping for lesser hours than what our body demands is also an unhealthy practice to follow. And it worsens the situation even more for people who suffer from hypertension when sleep issue and work stress combines.
According to a new study, the combination of both can result in cardiovascular death for people who have hypertension. Says Karl-Heinz Ladwig, an author at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health and the Medical Faculty, Technical University of Munich, "Sleep should be a time for recreation, unwinding, and restoring energy levels. If you have stress at work, sleep helps you recover. Unfortunately poor sleep and job stress often go hand in hand, and when combined with hypertension the effect is even more toxic."
Work stress is when people have high demanding jobs and low control. Jobs that have high expectation and workers who aren't at the position of making decisions. Said Ladwig, "If you have high demands but also high control, in other words you can make decisions, this may even be positive for health. But being entrapped in a pressured situation that you have no power to change is harmful."
Lack of sleep is where people find it hard to fall asleep or even stay asleep for a longer time. Ladwig informed, "Maintaining sleep is the most common problem in people with stressful jobs. They wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning to go to the toilet and come back to bed ruminating about how to deal with work issues."
He also continued to say, "These are insidious problems. The risk is not having one tough day and no sleep. It is suffering from a stressful job and poor sleep over many years, which fade energy resources and may lead to an early grave."
"Each condition is a risk factor on its own and there is cross-talk among them, meaning each one increases risk of the other. Physical activity, eating healthily and relaxation strategies are important, as well as blood pressure lowering medication if appropriate," he further explained.
Most people don't really have the luxury to change jobs just because of issues like these and so the problem increases even more which leads to the risk of cardiovascular diseases in people who suffer from hypertension. This is why there's a big need for employers to inculcate stress management at workplace so that workers can at least ease out their work stress which can also promote better sleep.