Chances are that we’ve all felt stressed or undervalued at work at some point in our careers. Whether it’s being swamped with meetings, loaded with unachievable projects or feeling like the praise or pay packet we’re receiving doesn’t match our role, too many of us have experienced burnout and low self-esteem in a work environement.

And you probably don’t need a study to tell you that these feelings can impact our health in a serious way. Lack of sleep, a less robust immune system, gut issues and mood swings are just a few of the health issues that can crop up when we’re feeling under strain and under-appreciated at work.

Now, a new study has confirmed that work-related stress and feeling undervalued in our careers can have a serious impact on something pretty major: our heart health. 

Research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that office workers in stressful jobs who felt undervalued were 97% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation, a form of arrhythmia that can lead to heart failure, stroke and other serious cardiovascular issues.

The study’s senior author Dr Xavier Trudel said it was the first of its kind to link both the psychological factors of high job strain and effort-reward imbalance in the workplace to heart health.

Over 18 years, researchers at Canada’s Laval University studied nearly 6,000 Canadian adults working in office jobs, asking them to complete regular questionnaires about their ‘job strain’. Their medical records were also studied over the period.

Those who experienced both high job strain and lack of appreciation were 97% more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation than their colleagues who did not experience such. Staff with high job strain who were also highly paid were still 83% more likely to develop the condition, meaning a hefty pay packet doesn’t necessarily negate woes at work. 

Employees who felt they invested a significant amount of effort in their work that wasn’t equal to their salary, recognition or job security were 44% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation.

The study found that work stress can increase the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. It also found that people with stressful jobs are more likely to pick up habits like smoking or drinking, contributing to poor heart health.

These findings are particularly concerning for women. Earlier this year, the charity Mental Health UK found that one in five working adults took time off work in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress, and women were 5% more likely than men to have experienced extreme stress, and 7% more likely to take on unpaid overtime or an increased workload. 

Previous research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had also found that women are more likely to be under-represented in managerial roles, largely because their leadership skills are undervalued.

Dr Trudel said the findings of the Canadian research illuminate just how important it is that employers look deeply at their current work practices to see how they can alleviate the pressures of toxic work environments.

It’s a conclusion shared by Mental Health UK who are calling on the UK government to urgently “lead a national conversation about how we can best help people to stay in or return to work”, looking at “how employers can better spot and manage stress before it becomes burnout”. 

Image: Getty