Too much work causes depression

Who works in the long term more than two hours a day, doubled his risk of suffering from severe depression. This is the result of a study by American scientists.

Burn out, stress at work, more and more days of absence – People seem increasingly to suffer from work-related stress. Experts estimate that about 30 percent of the working population are at risk of chronic fatigue. Now an American study has found: Three or more work hours overtime a day increase the risk of mental illness, particularly severe depression.

Researchers gathered the data of 1626 men and 497 women over a period up to 7.2 years. Initially it was ruled that the workers were suffering even before the study psychological discomfort. During the observation period, 3.1 percent of the study participants developed a severe depression. It was found that employees who worked 11 to 12 hours daily, were in twice more affected by depression as those who worked 7 to 8 hours per day.

Excessive work pressure leaves no time for relaxation.

Scientists can not explain exactly how overtime and the increased occurrence of depression are related, because work itself – a lot of work – does not make sick. However, they suspect that, the high time for the job leads to family conflicts and leave little permits for relaxation. In addition, the concentration of stress hormones in the blood could be permanently increased. In 2010, the authors of the study had already published a study, which demonstrated that regular overtime also increase the risk for diseases of the coronary vessels up to 60 percent.

To prevent mental illness, regular timeouts are necessary. Relaxation exercises, such as yoga, meditation or progressive muscle relaxation can help to cope better with the daily stresse. In addition, regular breaks and a healthy diet are important to stay healthy, even at high working pressure. And even if that is not enough, only one thing: to say from time to time “No”!