Any job requires effort, but what does it mean when an employee’s physical and mental health is endangered because of the same? Businesses all over the world are experiencing serious issues as a result of overworking.

In fact, a report states that burnout is so common in Asian nations like Japan, South Korea, and China that there are specific words for “death from overwork” in those

Numerous physical health issues can develop as a result of burnout. Employees may have trouble sleeping and have a higher risk of stroke. The risks to one’s mental health are no better, with a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety.

Physical Health Issues Caused by Stress at Work

Links between extended hours of work and negative health issues

• A link exists between metabolic syndrome and work stress. People who have metabolic syndrome, also known as “syndrome X,” are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
• For people in lower socioeconomic status groups, some of those included strokes and type 2 diabetes.
• People who worked 55 or more hours a week had a 13% higher risk of having a heart attack. Additionally, they had a 33% higher chance of having a stroke than people who worked 35–40 hours per week.

All these are clinically researched and proven stats at the international level.

Effects of Burnout on Mental Health

• Physical overexertion ranked second among the ailments and injuries that prevented workers from reporting to work over the previous four years.
• Overworking has been connected to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. The WHO now ranks depression as the primary contributor to disability.

Overworking in General

Painkiller use, fast food consumption, lack of exercise, and alcohol consumption were all associated with burnout. Being overworked can cause many people to forget to properly eat or drink, or they may simply not have the time.

Potential consequences of this issue include hypoglycemia and dehydration. It may seem insignificant that this trend’s immediate effects are limited to cracked lips and hunger pangs. However, as they advance, severe cases may result in coma and death.

Employees’ sleep patterns and quality are likely to be impacted by workplace stress. The rest can influence immunity and disease risk, but it can also seriously impair other areas.

Learning capacity, appetite, and mood could be affected. In addition to countless other aspects of daily life at home and at work, mental illness could be one outcome.

Signs of burnout

Exhaustion on a physical and emotional level, as well as cynicism, detachedness, inefficiency, and lack of success.

Feelings of hopelessness and apathy, pessimism, rage, nausea, and more.

How Your Business Is Affected by These Issues

Each year, workplace stress is a factor in at least 120,000 fatalities.

The depressing trend costs between 125 and 190 billion dollars annually.

Both those working in the healthcare sector and those in the creative industries can become burned out and overworked.

The collective focus should be on prevention and mitigating some of the negative effects of work, rather than responding to increases in the number of workers experiencing difficulties.