7 Ways working late harms your health
Amit recently landed his dream job as a business development manager in a reputed firm. Things were going well for a couple of months. However, he soon began pulling late shifts due to his workload and in an effort to impress his senior managers. Added to this pressure, he still had to report to work on time every day, being the head of his own team. In the fourth month of his new job, Amit suddenly experienced severe chest pains and a loss of appetite. His reports showed he suffered from thyroid problems and hypertension. Amit was also beginning to display symptoms of male pattern baldness.
Like Amit, many city-dwellers are guilty of pulling overtime shifts at work. Sometimes out of necessity and sometimes for professional growth. Working late harms your health in many different ways. Here are 7 main ways working late can affect your body, so you may think twice before logging in those extra hours.
Elevated stress levels
Working late and not getting enough sleep is known to cause to chronic stress. Stress in turn leads to many health complications including thyroid problems, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. Chronic stress also manifests externally through many hair and skin disorders including male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness, brittle skin, and acne.
Causes bouts of insomnia
Staring at a computer screen way past your bedtime often means you need to guzzle several cups of coffee. Trying to keep up a hectic routine such as this can lead to chronic insomnia. This is how many working professionals become dependent on sleeping pills to get a few hours of shut-eye. Your body needs a minimum of 8 hours of sound sleep. Any activities that put stress on your routine need to be reconsidered.
Leads to obesity
Studies show that people who sleep late often tend to suffer from thyroid problems and diabetes which can lead to obesity. Staying awake late means you will feed that craving for a midnight snack; usually a sugary one. Getting up late often means you need to skip your morning workout and even breakfast, just to get to work on time. This routine can prove to be a deadly cocktail in the long run.
Increases the risk of many diseases
Burning the midnight oil occasionally is all right. However, pushing yourself daily to work late can lead to many health complications. Working late and getting less rest is known to lower immunity thus resulting in muscle cramps, digestive issues, thyroid problems, migraine, hypertension, urinary infection, kidney stones and even stroke. The reason for these problems is that while working late, our routine often goes off balance. We wake up in a rush, skip breakfast, and eat the rest of our meals hastily and at odd times.
Affects physical appearance
Working late begins to reflect its negative effects in your outward appearance gradually. Due to dietary changes and lack of sleep, people who work late often have brittle nails, hair loss, chapped lips, and dry skin. Staring at the computer in for hours in dim light can lead to the formation of unsightly dark circles. Sitting at a desk for hours is known to cause a tummy paunch, as well as posture issues.
Leads to addictions
Working late in a highly stressful environment often makes people dependent on many vices such as alcohol and cigarettes. In some situations, people even resort to stimulating drugs such as cocaine to stay alert and work all night long. Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs slowly poison your organs and cause many unnecessary health complications. Moreover, these addictions also lead to financial strain, and destroy the overall quality of your personal and professional life.
Can cause depression
Recent research has shown how people who work late often reach a physical or mental burnout. This can result in deep depression where a single failure can affect their entire self-esteem. Pulling in hours of overtime at your desk or carrying your workload home will deprive you of much needed recreation time with your friends and family. Many workaholics often find themselves lonely with no personal life.
