By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Have You Seen This? The 40-hour work week might not be good for you
768966bb698203ab58b3e8c7c4dee665b24571dff73af27eee9dc448dd13c120
Turns out all work or significantly more than the sanctioned 40-hour work week could be negatively affecting your health, according to an Australian study and a video put out by DNews on YouTube. - photo by Angie Treasure
Angie Treasure
KSL.com
Published: Feb 16, 2017, 11:01 AM


THE OFFICE All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Turns out all work or significantly more than the sanctioned 40-hour work week could be negatively affecting your health, according to an Australian study and a video put out by DNews on YouTube.

The aforementioned research states that after testing 3,800 men and 4,000 women, the ANU Research School of Population Health found that working more than 39 hours significantly increased those persons chances of suffering from mental health problems. Those who worked more than 60 hours a week put themselves at risk of cardiovascular disease.

Another interesting find in the Australian study was that a healthy work limit for men was up to 47 hours a week, while that same healthy limit was around 34 hours per week for women, considering that women spend much more time on care and domestic work outside of their official employment duties, according to lead researcher Dr. Huong Dihn.

The video also states that working from home not only increases mental wellness, but also ups productivity. In a study conducted with Chinese call center employees, researchers found that workers who did shifts from home made more calls per hour and reported higher work satisfaction.

Another concern with long work days is that it drastically increases the chance that someone will develop a cardiovascular disease. Over the course of 10 years of working, one study found that the risk of CD increased significantly as work hours did, and that staying under 45 hours a week was important to lessen the chance of contracting such a disease.

So to sum up: Work less, do a few shifts from home and take plenty of breaks.

Be sure to watch the video for more interesting tidbits. Oh, and we totally get it if you want to forward this to your boss.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.