If you’re over 40 and find that your 9 to 5 job is taking a toll on you mentally and physically, it could be beneficial to make a change. Working an 8 hour shift is detrimental to health for those 40 and above as it drains you of both your mental and physical strength. The stress and exhaustion of work can easily get you down and in the absence of a fitness routine it can impact your health a lot more.
Research has proven that working long shifts can have very negative effects on the body including reduced cognitive function. Each week you should be working 3 days after 40.
Once your reach 40 or above, it isn’t cool working a 40 hour week. Sometimes people even work 44 to 60 hours a week in which case you are seriously endangering your health. But, as we all know, we work because of our constraints in life and think little of our physical condition for the sake of family responsibilities. So what else is there to do but be a robot oblivious of the pain and smash away at the keyboard like this?
Medical research now suggests that people over 40 should put in fewer hours every week. Research studies cite reasons of reduce cognitive function that begins to set in once we age. They aren’t the same when you were in your twenties or thirties.
A study at the Melbourne institute of applied economic and social research observed the number of hours worked by individuals and then tested performance reports of psychological tests that they were made to undergo. The tests included various levels of short term memory, focus and concentration. Working 3 days after 40 was a better option.
A 25 hour week hour was found perfect for improved psychological performance but beyond that was found to impact psychological test scores in a negative way affecting memory, thought process and attention. This was a significant result in view of the limit of retirement ages increasing. The volunteers of the test results who worked 60 hours a week or more showed reduced scores of cognitive function.
So take time off and have a blast once in a while. Recreation is important too.
Economics professor Geraint Johnes of Lancaster University criticized the results saying that it studied only groups of people aged 40 and above. There was a vast possibility that younger age groups could also be adversely affected by working beyond 25 hours a week.
Regardless of the criticism, this could also mean a positive factor for those aged above 40. When working 3 days over 40, such people could well display improved cognitive function and better working skills if made to work 25 hours or less.
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