You probably know that spending too much time in the office can affect your mental and physical health. Yet, you may be doing it anyway. Research by the Australian National University suggests 39 hours to be the ideal length of your work week to ensure life balance and good health, but the average American works 47 hours a week. Working overtime on a regular basis might be putting you at risk for alcohol use, higher rates of illness, injury and death, in addition to smoking and weight gain. And according to a new study, your long work week may also be affecting your hairline.
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From 2013 to 2017, researchers from South Korea studied 13,391 men between the ages of 20 and 57, who worked full time. They divided the men into three groups. The “normal” group worked 40 hours a week; the “long” group worked up to 52 hours a week; the “much longer” group worked more than 52 hours a week. Age, education, marital status, monthly household income and smoking were also taken into consideration. The researchers found that men in their 20’s and 30’s who worked a minimum of 52 hours a week lost their hair at an increased rate, compared to the men who worked more regular office hours.
Study results showed that hair loss increased by 2% in the “normal group,” by 3% in the “long” group and by almost 4% in the “much longer” group. Researchers attributed the link between excessive work hours and hair loss to stress caused by work overload, as well as stress caused by being underpaid. Stress triggers damage to the hair follicles, which can end the active growth of hair.
Kyung-Hun Son, from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, led the study. He explained, “"Limitation of working hours in order to prevent alopecia development may be more necessary from younger workers, such as those in the 20s and 30s, at which hair loss symptoms start to appear. Preventive interventions to promote appropriate and reasonable working hours are required in our society."