The amount of work that has not been completed often makes a person choose overtime until late at night. In fact, apart from having an effect on mental health, this condition also causes adverse effects on physical health. Can this habit trigger diabetes?
Too Busy Working and its Relation to Diabetes
Several studies revealed, Workers who are used to overtime are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This occurs due to long working hours which can cause stress and disrupt night rest time, which triggers insulin resistance.
Besides that, based on the results of a study conducted by the BMJ Diabetes Research & Care, women who work more than 45 hours a week have a 51% higher risk of developing diabetes when compared to women who work 35-40 hours a week.
This can happen because people who work more than 40 hours a week have higher levels of stress, thereby changing the hormone cortisol.
The hormone cortisol is a hormone that can affect the body’s response to stress. When you experience stress, the body will produce the hormone cortisol. This hormone has a role in regulating blood sugar levels in the body.
When there is a change in the hormone cortisol, it can affect the body’s insulin levels and the body’s ability to break down sugar.
In addition, higher stress can interfere with sleep and worse mental health. As a result, this condition can cause changes in body weight and insulin levels that contribute to diabetes.
How to prevent diabetes for those of you who are busy working
The following are some tips that workers can do to prevent exposure type 2 diabetes, including:
1. Change Diet
The habit of consuming sweet foods can trigger the risk of type 2 diabetes. If you work late and work late at night, try to avoid consuming these foods.
Instead, you can try other, healthier foods such as fruits. In addition, multiply the consumption of foods that are low in calories and contain lots of fiber.
2. Make Time for Sports
Sitting all day in front of a laptop makes workers rarely move. Meanwhile, being active or moving a lot makes the body more sensitive to insulin, thereby helping to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
In addition, physical activity also helps in controlling blood sugar levels which in the long term can reduce the risk of heart disease and nerve damage.
Therefore, try to do regular exercise or do some movements that can be done while working, for example stretching the neck, legs and back.
In addition, you can change positions from sitting to standing or vice versa and going up and down stairs to increase your heart rate.
Do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or 20-25 minutes per day.
3. Quit Smoking
Are you an active smoker? If so, you should stop this one habit to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Active smokers have a 30-40% risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to someone who is not a smoker. This happens because high nicotine levels can reduce the effectiveness of insulin.
4. Drink plenty of water
Consumption of water can help control blood sugar and make insulin response better. Therefore, consuming more water can help prevent the risk of diabetes while limiting the consumption of drinks that are high in sugar.
Now,, that’s some ways you can do to prevent diabetes due to working too long. Apart from applying the method above, you should also regularly check your blood sugar to keep the levels stable.
- Anonymous. 2022. 4 tips to support employees with diabetes in the workplace. https://www.getmaple.ca/blog/2022/11/11/4-tips-to-support-employees-with-diabetes-in-the-workplace/. (Accessed January 2023)
- Park, Alice. 2018. Working Long Hours Can Raise the Risk of This Disease. https://time.com/5328627/working-long-hours-diabetes/. (Accessed January 2023)
- Street, Lizzie. 2022. 11 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/prevent-diabetes. (Accessed January 2023)
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