Sometimes we all have to put in some extra time at work. But too much of that can have a bad effect on your health. Medical science has the data to prove it.

A recent article on WebMD describes a study in the UK that followed British civil servants for about ten years. The subjects who worked three or more hours of overtime a day showed a 60% increase in heart related problems.

One researcher says these subjects showed more “Type A behavior traits like aggression, hostility, competitiveness, psychological distress, and sleep problems.”

There may be a chicken-and-egg issue here:  maybe these people started with competitive, aggressive personalities that made them to work long hours. But maybe their perceived need to work long hours made them more hostile and psychologically distressed.

But in either case, the message is clear– we need to keep our lives in balance.

(Photo: Some rights reserved, Sam Greenhalgh)