Every day it seems like the pressure at work is mounting, right? Things go from bad to worse, you can’t ever keep up, and everything is a big “cluster jumble.” All you can do is your best, to get the most necessary things done so that your entire company doesn’t collapse.
It’s not a coincidence that we use the term “pressure” to describe job stress. Any doctor will tell you that the level of stress and pressure you experience at work can have a direct effect on your blood pressure.
Belgian study shows how job stress increases blood pressure
A well-known study carried out in Belgium a decade ago proved a direct link between job-related stresses and blood pressure. In fact, your job stresses affect your blood pressure at work, after work and even when you’re sleeping. Doctors say that the blood pressure risk is enough to increase your chances of developing heart disease.
The Belgian Job Stress Project put blood pressure monitors on 89 men and women who had stressful jobs. Another 89 men and women without stressful jobs volunteered to have blood pressure monitors, too. The study revealed that the people with high-stress jobs experienced the highest blood pressure while they were working. In addition, the stressed workers had higher blood pressure readings at home, and even when they were asleep.
The researchers concluded that “high job strain” was to blame for the higher blood pressure. This results from “high psychological demands.” The less job control that workers had, the higher their psychological demands. In other words, when workers were subjected to randomly severe and uncontrollable job stresses, their blood pressure readings went up.
Are you suffering from cardiovascular problems because of your job?
Many California workers have had to leave their high-stress jobs in favor of more relaxing occupations for the sake of their cardiovascular health. When this happens, doctors might classify the health issues as job-caused or job-related. As such, some workers with cardiovascular problems can pursue a workers’ compensation claim to receive financial benefits to pay for medical care and time unable to work.
