• Poor Posture: Long periods of prolonged sitting lead to a poor posture which in turn leads to back ache and lower back ache. With prolonged sitting if the head, neck and shoulders of the individual are not aligned there are plenty of chances of the individual suffering from pain in the back and shoulder muscles.

Other harms of a poor posture due to prolonged sitting at work are that it leads to wrist injuries, especially for those who make extensive use of the computer or the laptop for work purposes. Poor posture in many at work is also largely responsible for them suffering from Spondylitis.

• Eye Strain: Sitting for long periods of time at work without taking breaks or much movement can lead to eye strain, itchy eyes, a burning feeling, watery eyes etc. While this effect may not be as harmful as other effects caused by prolonged sitting and can be reversed, it does cause a visible discomfort to the individual.

To know more see Effects of prolonged sitting at work!

• Poor Blood Circulation: Individuals who sit for long periods of time at work experience poor blood circulation. The problems of a poor blood circulation are that less blood reaches the muscles, depriving them of oxygen and other necessary nutrients, leading to fatigue.

• Weak Muscles: With prolonged sitting at work promoting limited movement of muscles, most big muscle groups go through long phases of immobility. Lack of exercise is the primary reason why most muscles become weak plus with poor blood circulation, muscles tend to cramp, get strained or pulled after prolonged sitting.

To know more see Effects of prolonged sitting at work!

• Do not bring work home and also try to consciously shut off thoughts of work when at home.
• Manage your time well so that you complete all your work within office hours.
• Take a few days off in a year, go to your native place or visit a new place with your family.
• Remember, Work is an important part of life but you can only enjoy it if you balance family and work.

To know more see Workaholism, when Life = Work

• Side health effects of over work: The most common one being headaches, tiredness, stomachaches, ulcers, chest pains, dizziness. Workaholics also tend to get angry or agitated, suffer from insomnia and from memory blanks, have short attention spans, find it difficult to relax and have mood swings. Workaholics have many digestive problems as they tend to eat at the wrong times, eat too fast to get back to work.
• Career Downs: Since Workaholics are ‘career oriented’ they are especially affected when their career is going through the downs. Retirement is a huge question mark for them as they do not know how to deal with having no work.

To know more see Workaholism, when Life = Work

• Develop a sleep routine by falling asleep and getting up at the same time schedule every day.
• To help get sleep faster, use shades to dim the lighting, wear ear plugs to reduce noise disturbance and sleep in a room which is the most undisturbed in your house. Also inform your family members to not disturb you while you are sleeping.
• For those who sleep for fewer hours in the day, a short nap before going to work can prove to be very effective.
• Avoid changing your timings too much during your weekends or days off as it again disturbs the body rhythm that your body has reset for itself because of your forcing it to do so.

To know more see How to deal with shift work?

• Cancer: One study found 60% more breast cancer cases in those women who are working in shifts than others. The production of Melatonin, the chemical with anti-oxidant and tumor suppressing properties, gets affected by working in shifts which could be the cause for this trend. Even WHO has stated ‘shift work’ as a probable carcinogen or an agent that causes cancer in their 2007 report.
• Heart Disease: A study conducted in 1986 showed that workers working in shifts for 15 years were 300% more likely to suffer from heart disease.
• Emotional and Social Repercussions: Those working in shifts tend to lose on family time together because of the conflicting schedules. The lack of time for family and friends also leads to dissatisfaction and stress for the individual as well as the family.

To know more see How to deal with shift work?

• Stomach Issues: Those who constantly rotate their shifts or who work in night shifts are three times more likely to suffer from gastric problems like constipation, diarrhea and bouts of indigestion. There are also more incidences of peptic ulcers in shift workers.
• Sleep Disorders: Those who work in rotating shifts does not have fixed hours of sleep and work and thus require more effort to fall asleep. It was found out that shift workers on an average sleep 2 hours less than the day time workers.
• Fatigue: Due to insufficient sleep, most shift workers suffer from chronic fatigue and feeling of listlessness and to them the answer to it seems to be endless cups of caffeine which only worsens the problem. There is also dip in the memory, thinking and concentration levels in those who are working in shifts.

To know more see How to deal with shift work?

• Exercise your eyes: The eye muscles get tired because they keep looking at the same distance and at the same object for long. Some exercises that will reduce the eyestrain include looking at an object at a distance for 10 seconds and then looking at an object that is up close for 10 seconds. This exercise helps the eyes to focus at different distances easily.
• Take breaks: Many of us believe that our time away from work is just a waste of time which robs us from working efficiently. Hence we find ourselves taking less than 2 breaks in a day. A study has shown than along with two 15 minute breaks that are needed, an additional of 4-5 minute breaks throughout the day helps reduce the eye strain.
• Blink more often: The reason we feel a burning sensation in our eyes is because they dry out. They dry out because while working on the computer we forget to blink as many times as required which dehydrates it. So if your eyes feel burnt out, blink more often. Another exercise that you can try – Every 20 minutes, blink your eyes 10 times very slowly as if you are sleepy. This will keep the surface of your eye hydrated.

To know more see Take Care of your Eyes at Work

Eyestrain has also something to do with the fact that our eyes dry out while working in front of the computer. This is because, we blink 12 times in a minute otherwise, but in front of the computer the rate is just 5 times per minute. Thus not only are we focusing for too long but our eyes are getting drier too, further the dry air blown by our air conditioned offices don’t help our eyes.

To know more see Take Care of your Eyes at Work

• LOL: Laughing out loud whenever something tickles our fancy at work will not only increase our life span but also cut down on the stress levels. Laughter at work is good for decreasing tension, stress and also boosts productivity by promoting a happy working environment.
• Remember to eat that frog: Aim to complete the most difficult aspect of the job first thing in the morning after reaching the workplace, as this will help avoid procrastination and putting off the difficult tasks for later in the day, when you are mentally tired. Completing the difficult task first thing in morning considerably reduces the work pressure for the remainder of the day!

To know more see Smart tips for staying healthy at work