Like a candle burnt down to the wick, American workers are feeling burnt out. New research says that burnout might be killing them.
The European Journal of Preventative Cardiology announced the results of a new study on Monday that found a specific link between what it calls “vital exhaustion” or “burnout syndrome” and atrial fibrillation, commonly known as AFib.
AFib is the most common heart arrhythmia and the leading cause of stroke in the U.S. and Europe, reports CNN.
The condition likely affects 6 million Americans, according to the New York Post.
The study found that burnout caused increased inflammation in the body and increased stress hormones in those out of the 2,000 participants who experienced it.
The inflammation and stress hormones, when experienced chronically, eventually damaged heart tissue, study author Dr. Parveen Garg told CNN.
Garg surmised that heart tissue damage led members of the study to develop AFib.
“When the mind is under stress, the heart will respond, either with an appropriate heart rhythm or an abnormal one, namely atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Satjit Bhusri told U.S. News and World Report.
While more research must be done to confirm the findings, Garg warned readers to be more careful managing their stress levels.
“I think the main take-home message is that high levels of stress, high levels of exhaustion can have an impact on your heart as well as your mind,” Garg told CNN.
Previous research by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found links between depression (one of the most common symptoms of burnout) and heart disease.
The American Institute of Stress says 80% of workers feel stress on the job, and half of them need help learning how to manage that stress. Nearly a quarter of those they surveyed said their jobs were the most stressful things in their lives. Their research also found job stress is more associated with health issues than financial or family stress.