Working Conditions and High Blood Pressure

How many hours do you work? This is a significant factor in deciding your risk of getting high blood pressure. The October issue of the medical journal Hypertension carries a report of high blood pressure in relation to a variety of factors, including hours spent at work. A full-time job – working 40 hours a week – increased the risk of high blood pressure by 14% compared with those who worked 11-39 hours a week. And working 41 to 50 hours a week increased the risk by 17%. More than 51 hours a week and the risk of developing hypertension rose by 29%. This was found after adjustment for other risk factors – smoking, race, gender, diabetes, education, and income.

What’s to be done? If you can’t reach agreement with your employer, find a less demanding job. There are no US laws that specifically limit work time or excessive overtime, such as those in Europe. Unless or until such rulings are enacted, it’s up to individuals to try to balance their need for income with their need for good health; after all, the USA is not a third-world country. Maybe we don’t all need a second (or third) TV set.