# Reduce chronically long workweeks

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://healthy100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://healthy100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://healthy100.jock.pl/mind-working-hours/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-27
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-28, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 49 of 100 in the list: https://healthy100.jock.pl/#mind-working-hours

Sustained 55 hour weeks carry a measurable stroke and heart risk, and leave no room to recover.

**The number:** 35% higher stroke risk at 55 or more hours a week versus 35 to 40 ([WHO and ILO, 2021](https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2021-long-working-hours-increasing-deaths-from-heart-disease-and-stroke-who-ilo))

## The evidence

- Evidence grade: B. Grade B: consistent large cohort studies, with some trial evidence.
- Basis: WHO and ILO systematic reviews of long working hours; observational exposure comparisons
- Outcome: stroke risk, observational association
- Comparison: Working 55 or more hours/week vs 35 to 40
- Impact: 60/100. The impact score is an editorial prioritization heuristic for the general list, not a validated estimate of your personal risk.

## Why it matters

Long weeks create continuous strain and crowd out everything outside work. WHO and ILO found that working 55 hours or more a week is associated with 35% higher stroke risk and 17% higher risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease, compared with 35 to 40 hours, and they attribute roughly 745 000 deaths a year to the exposure. These are comparisons between exposure groups, not proof that cutting your hours reverses risk by the same amount. Changing workload usually needs your employer, not just willpower.

## How to do it

1. Track your actual working time for two weeks, including work done at home.
2. If long weeks are routine, raise priorities, staffing or workload with your manager or worker representative.
3. Agree explicit finishing times and availability where your circumstances allow.

## Talk to a clinician first

If work pressure is affecting your health, discuss support and possible adjustments with a clinician or occupational health service.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Recall when you started and finished work yesterday, including evening messages; estimate the total rather than your contracted hours.
- 5 minutes: Start a work-hours log with today's start time, breaks and finish time; include work done at home.
- 15 minutes: Review last week's calendar and messages, total your actual hours, and identify one recurring task that extends your day.
- 30 minutes: Prepare a workload discussion: list essential tasks, deadlines, actual hours and what could be postponed or shared.

### What it looks like

- Count the Sunday emails and evening calls when you total your working week.
- Ask your manager which deadline can move when the assigned work exceeds your agreed hours.

### Common mistakes

- Working faster may leave the workload unchanged: bring your hours and priorities to a workload discussion.
- If you cannot safely challenge your manager, seek confidential advice from a worker representative or occupational health service.

### A structured start

**Two weeks of facts, then a workload agreement**

1. For two weeks, record your actual hours without trying to prove you can fit more in.
2. Take the pattern to your manager, worker representative or occupational health team and discuss priorities or staffing.
3. Agree achievable hours and availability where possible, then review whether the change is working.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Work related stress: workload and boundaries](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/work-related-stress/), NHS

## Sources

- [Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO](https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2021-long-working-hours-increasing-deaths-from-heart-disease-and-stroke-who-ilo), WHO and ILO, 2021 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Mental health at work](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work), WHO, 2026 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.

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