25 Signs Your Job Is Killing You

You might joke about your job sucking the life out of you, but there’s actually truth behind the chuckles: office life can be deadly. Sitting for hours upon hours, being exposed to fluorescent light, eating lunches out, and dealing with regular stress can take a major toll on your physical and mental health. Here, we’ll explore 25 of the signs that your seemingly harmless job has the potential to kill you.

1. You can’t sleep at night

   If you’re just one of many workers that trudge around the office with an empty coffee cup and bags under your eyes, chances are you’re not getting enough sleep. If you’re experiencing insomnia, your work may be to blame. The Mayo Clinic has identified that one of the primary causes of insomnia is stress, and not just any stress: workplace stress is the worst offender.

2. You’ve had a heart attack

   This amazingly clear sign makes it obvious that you need to chill out at work, but it’s amazing how many people will actually ignore the signs of an impending heart attack. Litigator Jo Anne Shumard had a heart attack at the age of 39, pulling all-nighters on Wednesdays and Thursdays to spend all weekend with her family without regard to the toll on her health. She even ignored the symptoms of her heart attack, as it was happening, for two and a half hours. An incident such as Shumard’s is a pretty obvious slap in the face that things aren’t all right at work.

3. You have no control

   One of the most stressful parts of any job is a major lack of control, leading to anger and hostility. Not at all surprisingly, anger and hostility are the emotions most strongly associated with heart disease.

4. You have a physical reaction to your boss

   If you feel queasy, butterflies in your stomach, or even pain in your shoulder when you hear your coworker or boss’ voice, you’re feeling emotional distress. Ignoring this distress can lead to fatigue, stress, and even serious harm to your physical and emotional well-being.

5. You’re frequently sick

   Modern offices can be a hotbed for germs, with no end to the surfaces where bacteria can lurk and grow: your phone, keyboard, mouse, even your desktop might be full of more germs than your average public toilet seat. Perhaps that’s why you’ve got a persistent case of the sniffles or you keep having to call in sick with the flu.

6. You’re a high achiever, not a high earner

   “Frustrated go-getters” fit a PsychologyToday profile of workers who work extremely hard, but don’t necessarily get rewarded for their efforts. This is what’s known as an “effort-reward imbalance” that quickly leads to burnout.

7. You have headaches, all the time

   Computer screens undoubtedly cause eye strain, with 50% to 90% of computer users reporting symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (yes, it’s real). Prolonged computer screen exposure can even lead to nearsightedness and glaucoma.

8. You work in a persistently noisy workplace

   Noisy workplaces —those that are so loud, it’s difficult to talk in a normal tone of voice — are seriously hazardous to your heart health. Researchers have found that workers in these types of offices are two to three times more likely to have serious heart problems than peers in a quiet workplace. It seems that being exposed to constant workplace noise causes physical and emotional stress for all of the hours that you’re at work, leading to isolated diastolic hypertension.

9. You’re having sexual difficulty

   Stress, heart disease, and time away from home are all workplace problems that can interfere with your sex life. But did you know that the lights at your office could be killing your sexual buzz? Fluorescent or too-bright lights, known in the medical community as over-illumination, can lead to a decrease in sexual function.

10. You can’t have kids

    Beyond interfering with sexual function, your workplace might actually be making you infertile. Health care workers and pharmacists may be exposed to agents like cancer treatment drugs that can result in infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects, while even office workers may experience premature delivery or even miscarriage due to prolonged standing or heavy lifting.

11. You’re getting fat

    Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day instead of being active can actually make you fat. Imagine that. Throw in regular lunches out and an all-too-tempting vending machine, and it’s even worse. With a sedentary job, you’re incredibly likely to gain weight, as your metabolism drops and your waistline expands. This can lead to a long list of problems, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

12. You can’t concentrate

    Old wrappers, books you’ll never read, and a mountain of Post-It notes aren’t just annoying to look at, they’re downright stressful. All that desk clutter can really make a difference on your mental state, killing your productivity and mental clarity, problems that can lead to more serious issues like stress and deadly distraction.

13. You have arthritis and/or bursitis

    Sitting at your desk for hours upon hours each day isn’t just making you fat, it’s killing you from the inside. You’re doing long-term damage to your joints, spine, muscles, and tendons by working at a desk without proper ergonomics.

14. You’re eating junk food

    Working often means that you’ll got out to eat for lunch. Make the right choices, and there’s no harm, but typically, eating out means bad news for your health. Drive-thru lunches, steak dinners, and hundreds, even thousands of extra calories can really add up.

15. Your office equipment is embarrassingly old

    Older office equipment tends to have fewer ergonomic functions, offering fewer adjustable parts and other factors that make it easier to be comfortable and healthy at work. If your chair won’t adjust and you haven’t seen so much as a wrist rest in the office, there’s a good chance you’re working with out-of-date equipment that can really cause problems.

16. You have carpal tunnel syndrome

    Repetitive motion, such as typing, clicking your mouse, or answering your phone, can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. This syndrome presents itself with sharp pain, tingling, numbness, and itching. You’re causing actual nerve damage, which may need to be repaired with surgery.

17. You have lower back pain

    Once again, sitting at your desk is a major health hazard, as bad posture can have a terrible toll on your body over time and lead to back pain. Back pain is a major reason for missed work and can become a chronic issue that impacts your life.

18. You have neck strain, too

    Back pain gets a lot of attention in workplace hazards, but neck strain can be a serious problem, too. Cradling the telephone handset in the crook of your neck can cause long-term damage to your neck muscles. Do it too much, and you’ll find that it takes longer and longer to stretch out of the position, possibly leading to osteoarthritis.

19. You’re bored to death

    It’s true; you really can be bored to death. According to researchers at University College London, high levels of tedium are associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke. That means being bored at work may actually be taking years off of your life.

20. You’re working at night

    If you’re working a night job or rotate shifts during the week, it may be taking a serious toll on your health. Shift work is associated with serious health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. It can even result in ulcers, depression, and an increased risk of injury.

21. You’re always sitting

    If you’ve got an office job, there’s a good chance your sitting for eight or more hours per day, moving only your eyes and fingers. All the running and iron pumping in the world can’t make up for it. Sitting for a prolonged amount of time can increase your risk of just about everything terrible, from heart disease and obesity to diabetes, hypertension, and even some cancers.

22. Your deadlines are killing your brain

    Constant stress is dangerous for your heart and overall wellness, but short-term stress, like that associated with deadlines at work, can do a real number on your brain. A University of California, Irvine study found that short-term stress, even as little as a few hours, can impair your brain-cell communication in the parts of your brain associated with learning and memory.

23. You’re the victim of workplace violence

    Disgruntled employees, customers, even random acts of violence can happen in the office. If you work in an environment where emotions run high, it’s possible that you might become the victim of workplace violence. Risk factors include working where there is an exchange or guard of money, interaction with the public, or working early or late in the day alone or in small groups.

24. You have poor mental health

    Job stress is a common predictor of mental disorders. Meaning, your job might actually be making you crazy. Risk factors for job-induced mental disorders include job strain, low decision latitude, and high job insecurity.

25. You’ve experienced a gas or chemical leak

    In offices moving into older facilities, or those that share a manufacturing space, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be subject to a gas or chemical leak. Asbestos, carbon monoxide, and other workplace hazards can turn deadly.