Occupational hazards: Stress-related illness is one of the top diseases for both men and women but there are ways of combating the problem, writes Dr Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent
Welcome to the first in a series of columns looking at health in the workplace. Irish people work some of the longest hours in Europe.
With the advent of mobile technology many of us work while we are on the move, in the evening time and at weekends.
So its not surprising that stress related illness was one of the top three diseases for both men and women in a 2000 survey carried out by the Society of Actuaries of Ireland.
The UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that levels of anxiety and burn-out in the workplace are spiralling out of control. In Finland more than half the workforce is affected by stress related symptoms and in Germany the number of working days lost annually to stress related illness is 2.3 million.
What is stress? In an occupational setting it can be defined as the response of the body to an outside demand.
This definition includes the important consideration that stress may be good as well as bad for your body; it also emphasises the role of the environment in producing stress.
It is possible to measure the chemical effects of stress on the body.
Adrenaline and cortisol (a natural steroid) increase dramatically when the body perceives a threat; when stimulated over the long term an over-production of these hormones leads to chronic arousal and difficulty switching off.
In the workplace these behavioural responses may be brought about by time pressures, a demand for increased performance or a threat to personal security.
How might you feel as stress begins to mount? You might become irritable and short-tempered.
You may feel tired and un-refreshed after a night sleep. You may notice difficulty getting to sleep, with work problems buzzing around you head. Decisions are harder to make than before you became stressed.
In addition a whole range of physical symptoms may kick in.
While the actual reasons for a persons particular workplace stress are varied and the treatment of an established stress pattern may require professional help, here are some tips to help prevent occupational stress taking its toll.
• Learn to say no: be honest about what you can achieve in a given time;
• Learn to manage time: work out how to manage time to suit you, not others;
• Think positive: tell yourself you are doing well and combat negative thinking;
• Learn to relax and switch off: put as much effort and time into relaxing activities as you do into work
Next week's column will look at bullying in work.