Workplace Stress May Increase Risk of Irregular Heart Rhythm

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A new study has found a strong link between workplace stress and the development of atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, a serious heart condition that can lead to heart disease and strokes.

Researchers say addressing the effects of workplace stress is crucial for creating healthier work environments.

Findings of 18-Year Study

The 18-year study, which examined the medical records of almost 6,000 adults in Canada working white-collar jobs, is the first to look at the effects of two specific stressors—job strain and the imbalance between effort and rewards, according to its study authors.

Job strain is defined as suffering from demands including a heavy workload, tight deadlines, and little control over job duties. Effort-reward imbalance refers to employees’ perception that the work they perform is not adequately rewarded by pay, job security, or recognition.

The people who reported that they suffered from job strain were 83 percent more likely to develop AFib than those who did not, according to the study results. Also, workers who said they experienced effort-reward imbalance were 44 percent more likely to contract AFib.

Employees who complained of both forms of stress had a 97 percent higher rate of AFib than those who did not complain of workplace stress.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Hospital Research Center of Québec‐Université Laval Research in Canada.

“Workers are in a state of harmful imbalance when high efforts come with low reward and thus more susceptible to health problems,” the researchers wrote.

AFib is the most common type of arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat in time or force. It affects about 3 million to 6 million Americans each year, with about 450,000 hospitalizations.

“Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies,” Xavier Trudel, a cardiovascular epidemiologist and the study’s senior author, said in a statement. “Recognizing and addressing psychosocial stressors at work are required to foster healthy work environments that benefit both individuals and the organizations where they work.”

Workplace Stress Can Be Reduced

It was already well established that workplace dissatisfaction from both types of stress produced a risk of coronary heart disease. Previous studies have shown that stressors at work can increase the risk of heart disease.

One such study found that correcting the imbalance between employee effort rewards, such as through higher income or more respect and control over occupational status, could mitigate the risk.

In that previous study, which included 2,156 participants, Trudel’s research team successfully reduced workplace stressors by implementing strategies such as slowing down project timelines, offering flexible work hours, and fostering open communication between managers and employees.

These interventions resulted in a significant decrease in participants’ blood pressure levels, according to the results published in the British Medical Journal in 2021. This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

Stress Takes a Toll in Many Ways

The precise mechanisms behind the increased AFib risk among stressed workers are not fully understood, according to the researchers.

They noted that exposure to these stressors “is known to activate the autonomic nervous system,” which controls involuntary bodily processes. Other systems affected by stress include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is the main stress response system in the body, and systems that involve the kidneys, which regulate blood pressure.

Symptoms of workplace-related stress often start with digestive problems such as ulcers and heartburn, as well as psychiatric issues including depression and anxiety, Dr. Karl Benzio, a psychiatrist and co-founder of a Florida residential treatment center, told The Epoch Times.

“Stress stimulates our fight or flight response and helps us immediately navigate a stressor,” Benzio said. “But we secrete cortisol and adrenaline, which causes inflammation that is toxic to our cells. Also, the extra work it causes our heart and vascular system takes its toll when it happens so frequently and intensely.”

The sustained elevation of these stress hormones can lead to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation, all of which add strain on the heart and blood vessels over time.

When people find themselves in high-stress situations, blood pressure and heart rate increase.

“It leads to arrhythmia, and electrical problems in your heart. It gives us AFib, which sets us up for heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes,” Benzio said.

High Expectations Can Cause High Blood Pressure

Stress in workplace situations is often caused because employees have unrealistic expectations of what rewards they will receive when putting in specific efforts, Benzio said. They become dependent on the idea that if they don’t get some reward, they won’t have peace.

“The study talked about psychosocial intervention, but I advocate and teach psycho-spiritual interventions to help,” said Benzio, who is also the medical director of the American Association of Christian Counselors. “That is what you believe about God, yourself, your situation, your circumstances. People pursue happiness, but what really helps is pursuing spiritual wellness.”

Stress Study Recommended for Blue-Collar Workers

The authors of the workplace stress study acknowledged that their study had limitations. They surveyed employees only one time about their stressors, which could lead to “potential misclassification.” That would likely result in underestimating the “true association” between the stressors and AFib, they noted.

The study included only white-collar workers, including those in office, professional, and managerial positions. That means the conclusions “may be limited to workers sharing similar occupations.” The relationship between work stressors and AFib in blue-collar workers should be studied in the future, the researchers said.

They wrote: “Previous evidence suggests that blue‐collar workers have a higher prevalence of exposure to job strain and that the adverse effect of job strain on cardiovascular outcomes is of higher magnitude in this particular population.”