Stress on the job can do more than just put you on the edge or give you a heavy dose of Sunday anxiety. A new study discovered that it can additionally affect your heart. 

The Journal of the American Heart Association released research Wednesday showing that job strain is linked with an increased chance of developing the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm.

Co-author Mathilde Lavigne-Robichaud said this adds to the body of research showing that work stress plays a substantial role in overall health. “Evidence, including from this study, suggests that work-related stressors are an important risk factor for heart conditions, similar to how smoking would be considered in a patient’s history,” she said.

What does the study say?

Researchers investigated the medical database records, including 18 years’ worth of follow-up data, for almost 6,000 adults in Canada working white-collar jobs. They discovered employees who said they experienced high levels of job strain had an 83% higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (A-fib), the most common form of abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia.

Employees who said they felt an “effort-reward imbalance” — meaning they didn’t believe their work performance was compensated justly for with things like “salary, recognition or job security” — had a 44% increased risk of developing A-fib. White-collar workers who reported feeling effort-reward imbalance and high job strain had a 97% increased risk.

“The key takeaway from this study is that reducing psychosocial stressors at work, such as job strain and effort-reward imbalance, could be a crucial strategy for [A-fib] prevention,” says Lavigne-Robichaud. “It’s important to note that the increased risk of [A-fib] was not due to other existing cardiovascular diseases, which makes this finding particularly significant.”

According to the American Heart Association, over 12 million individuals are projected to have A-fib in the United States by 2030. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, or thumping or fluttering in the chest. A-fib can additionally put you at an increased risk of a stroke or heart attack.

Authors of the study add that recognizing and then addressing stressors at work may be a way to effectively prevent A-fib. While it’s impossible to remove on-the-job stress altogether, experts say there are some things you can do to lessen it:

• Keep a journal. John Staley, deputy director of the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center, suggests keeping a journal — to log any personal victories and also keep tabs on stress triggers. “A compliment from a co-worker, student, boss, or customer? Write it down. Receive a promotion, award, or recognition for a job well done, or does your child make the team at school, or does your spouse [or] significant other have a happy outcome at work or at home? Write it in your journal,” says Staley. “Sometimes, a look at the positives can reset our thinking.”
• Reassess your workspace. Staley says clearing your office or desk can also help relieve your mental load. “Take a moment and assess your work environment to see what factors likely impact your work-related stress,” says Staley. Do you have a comfortable workspace free of clutter and distractions?”
• Focus on your own reward. If you feel you aren’t getting enough reward from your job, remind yourself of what you’re working for. “You can amplify the sense of reward from your job by, for example, making sure that you have photos of your family, or your vacation goals, or a picture that symbolizes being debt-free — whatever the reason is that you’re working,” says clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety, Chloe Carmichael. “That way, moment to moment, you can feel more connected with the bigger reward that you are working towards.”
• Take a break. “Short breaks during the workday are important, such as a quick walk, hydration break, or a few minutes of meditation and slowing your breathing and thoughts,” said Staley. “If needed, set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind yourself to get up, do some stretches, take a short walk, or chat with co-workers.” 

If physically removing yourself from your job is not an option, try to check out mentally for a few minutes. “Even just closing one’s eyes for 30 seconds in a peaceful and quiet environment can sometimes help,” says director of the Stanford Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Stanford Medicine, Dr. Paul Wang. 

• Consider job hunting. If anxiety and stress from work are getting to you, Carmichael says that might indicate it’s time to rework your résumé and look for something new. “The healthy function of anxiety is to stimulate preparation behaviors. So, if you’re having stress about your job, that can also stimulate you to say, ‘Is this stress, this challenge, worth the reward?'”

What management and employers can do:

• Give employees different options. Carmichael suggests speaking to employees about their work preferences. Some individuals might enjoy working through lunch at their desks to wrap up the day earlier, while others will stay longer if it means having a whole hour for lunch. “If you can give your employees options, that not only means they’re getting a work style that suits them — you’re also increasing their sense of control, which helps to decrease stress,” she says.
• Help them prioritize. Carmichael also recommends helping employees assess their workload to determine what can be worked on later. “Sometimes it can be surprising for managers to discover all of this stuff that has accrued on an employee’s plate,” she states. “And that has the double benefit of not just the practical allocation of the employee’s workload, but it also has the benefit of the employee feeling seen and heard and having rapport with management.”