A new study has found that working more than 55 hours a week “significantly increases your risk of having a stroke”. abc.net.au broke the story this week, citing a study conducted on over 600,000 people over the past 8 and a half years.

Key findings of the study included:

• People working 55 hours a week had a 33 per cent greater risk of having a stroke than people who worked a standard 35 – 40 hour week.
• The more hours people worked beyond standard hours, the higher their chance of having a stroke – even after accounting for other factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Working beyond 55 hours a week was also linked to a modest 13 per cent increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.