It is not uncommon for people to have a 60-hour work week occasionally. But working too much can affect your health considerably. A 31-year-old journalist in Japan worked 159 hours of overtime and took only two days off in the month leading up to her death from heart failure. Another 24-year-old woman killed herself due to the stress brought on by long working hours.
If you are over-working, it starts affecting your health and productivity. If you ask people why they find it so hard to stay in shape, they will come up with many answers like,
- Too busy due to work
- Tiredness wins over healthy decisions
- Peer pressure to eat like everyone else during social gatherings
How to Stay Healthy and Hale If You are Working 60+ Hours a Week?
In today’s scenario staying fit has not only remained a choice but has become a necessity. Here are some of the quick ways how to stay healthy and hale:
Plan an exercise routine
With a 60-hour work week, you may be experiencing plenty of stress, which can cause many health problems, and hence you need to find time for fitness. Make sure you do exercise either before work or when you get home. Also take a walk during your lunch hour or any breaks.
Follow simple diet hacks
Cross out all the liquids continuing high sugar content, like juices, coffee, sodas, alcohol from your list altogether. Food loaded with high calories must be avoided. Though, your highly stressful job may increase your craving for salty and sweet food, it would be in your best interest to avoid junk food. Limit carbohydrate-rich foods, and include non-starchy vegetables with every meal. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Limit your caffeine intake
Many of us have the habit of drinking coffee constantly to stay alert and concentrate on work. Refrain from overdoing it as it can cause gastrointestinal problems.
Get enough sleep
Getting 7-9 hours of sleep is ideal for an adult. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential to maximise your output and productivity at work. If you are routinely sacrificing your sleep for the sake of your job, it is self-destructive, will lead to under-sleeping, unproductive, bad health, and bad moods.
For sound sleep, develop a pre-bed routine by including the activities that relax you.
Take breaks during work
You may lose your focus if you work continuously. If you feel that you will be wasting your time by taking breaks, no, you will not! The opposite is true as you will find that your ability to concentrate will improve after you take a short break.
Drink plenty of water
Trouble concentrating? Drink Water! Drinking water will not only hydrate your body but will also energise your mind. To give it some kick, you can add a slice of lemon or orange. This will make even a simple water refreshing!
Importance of health insurance for employees:
Having understood the ways to stay healthy, we now should focus on some critical parameters. Anyone can fall sick anytime, and hospital bills have now become a pain.
It is difficult to meet such costs on our own as it can wipe a considerable chunk of your savings. Also, escalating medical costs, have given no choice for some individuals but to compromise the quality healthcare, because of low affordability.
Hence the importance of best health insurance comes into the picture. For working individuals who are always stressed, having a health insurance provides the ability to afford better healthcare facilities. Health insurance in India covers expenses related to urgent hospitalisation due to a sickness or an accident.
If you are shunning the idea of buying a comprehensive health insurance policy just because you have a corporate health policy, then there is bad news for you. Your corporate Mediclaim policy will cease to exist once you leave the job. Also, your employer health insurance policy depends on the whims of your company, and therefore, it is essential to have an individual health insurance policy which stays with you, irrespective of your job status.
Also, having a health insurance policy has many benefits of its own, like:
- Helps you to avail adequate medical facilities
- Provides you financial security
- Covers for pre-existing diseases
- Covers for pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation costs
- Gives tax benefits
Since health insurances are generally equipped with the network of hospitals, it becomes a cashless transaction for the individual as he just needs to submit his policy details and can avail the benefit of the same.
Before opting for the critical illness insurance or any other health insurance plans, it is always advisable to compare health insurance plans online. This will help you to get the details for different plans and choose the best health insurance for yourself.
Some points to remember:
- Look for the best health insurance plans or critical illness insurance plans offering the cashless facility
- Ascertain the benefits and the relative costs of obtaining the critical illness insurance policy
- Always compare health insurance plans online
- Carefully understand the terms and conditions of the policy
- Know what the settlement ratio is, as higher the settlement ratio and faster the settlement time, is what the ideal health illness insurance should look like
Conclusion
Your job is ‘only’ one part of your life, so don’t let it rule your entire life. Love your job but not at the cost of your health! So grab these tips about how to stay healthy and have a wonderful life..
