Can your working hours put you at risk of a stroke?

There are many risk factors for strokes and now working hours can be included among them, according to one researcher.

Dan Hackham, associate professor at Western University, London, Ontario in Canada, claims that those who do not have regular working hours, classified as nine to five, are at a five per cent increased risk of an ischemic stroke and a 23 per cent risk of a heart attack.

"We also found that coronary events increased with a risk ratio increase of 24 per cent," he explained.

For the benefits of the study, those working outside of standard hours include evening and night shift workers, rotating and split shift employees, those on call, 24 hour shift workers, and people with irregular schedules or undertaking casual shifts.

Dr Hackham stated that when this is put into population-wide perspective, it is estimated that "about seven per cent of heart attacks and 1.6 per cent of ischemic strokes are directly related to shift work".

He added that this percentage will become even larger as the UK moves towards a 24/7 society.

To protect against this, those groups at risk of a stroke must be identified and targeted with effective prevention strategies.

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