Overwork is a condition of the body caused by too hard, long and continuous work. Most often, overwork is associated with prolonged work that goes beyond the limits established by law and hygiene rules, and causes physical and mental disorders.
Fatigue refers to prolonged fatigue, exhaustion and disruption of the functioning of certain body systems. Ultimately, without sufficient rest (for example, when working overtime), this leads to overwork.
Overtime is generally defined as hours worked in excess of forty hours in a week that an employer forces an employee to work under threat of job loss or threat of other reprisal, such as demotion or assignment to unattractive assignments or job changes.
Relevance of the problem
According to some reports, about two tens of millions of people suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome in the world. At the same time, scientists note that approximately the same number are simply not diagnosed with it.
People first started talking about chronic fatigue syndrome in 1988, and it was from that time that it began to be regarded as a disease, which is also fraught with complications.
Article on the topic
I just got up and was tired. How to deal with loss of strength
“Given the modern pace of life, the problem of overwork is extremely relevant. Irregular working hours, typical for many, require full dedication and lack of free time not only on weekdays, but also on weekends and holidays,” says Evgenia Parshina, head of the department of allergology and immunopathology of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences, allergist-immunologist, assistant of the department of immunology of the Russian National Research Medical University. . N. I. Pirogova .
The following factors also contribute to the development of overwork:
- recent infectious diseases, including a new coronavirus infection;
- lack of sleep and poor quality of sleep;
- unbalanced nutrition and lack of a structured diet;
- lack of physical activity with daily mental workload and multitasking.
In addition, daily stress at work and at home aggravates the situation, notes Evgenia Parshina.
Not just tiredness. How to recognize and overcome emotional burnout Read more
Causes of overwork among workers
Some of the causes of overwork are organizational, while others are personal.
Organizational causes are those caused by changes occurring in both the external and internal environment. Personal reasons are psychological problems in the lives of employees.
There are a number of reasons that contribute to the increase in overwork. One of the main reasons is the changing economy, in which it is not uncommon for an organization to depend on one key client.
The globalization of the economy has led to job insecurity. As a result, employees started working longer and longer hours to keep their jobs. The reduction in administrative support is another important reason for the sudden increase in the trend of overwork among workers.
As a result, some employees work overtime to show their loyalty. Most companies provide monetary incentives to their employees for their extra efforts at work. Employees work overtime to earn as much money as possible.
In addition, highly motivated employees want to move up the career ladder, so they spend more hours on their jobs. High ambitions and the desire to fuel a sense of superiority have led to a growing tendency for employees to overwork.
The practice of reducing the number of employees has led to an increase in the workload of employees, who at the same time must maintain their jobs. Additionally, layoff survivors fear losing their jobs and therefore work harder and longer to prove their worth.
Types of overwork and its symptoms
“Fatigue can be both physical and mental. However, the ways to deal with them are different. If you are physically overtired, it is enough to just have a good rest, for example, sleep. But with the mental one, it’s more complicated, because it often develops unnoticed,” says the immunologist.
The specialist also emphasizes that it is worth taking a close look and listening to yourself and your loved ones in order to identify symptoms of mental fatigue. These include:
- irritability and nervousness;
- headaches, which are otherwise called tension pains;
- absence or, conversely, increased appetite;
- disturbance and lack of sleep;
- fatigue and apathy;
- decreased concentration, slowness.
All this leads to decreased performance. “If you have identified such signs in yourself, you need to start correcting them without pushing yourself to the extreme,” emphasizes Evgenia Parshina.
Article on the topic
How to relieve fatigue and recover. 6 rules for holidays without vacation
Available ways to restore brain function
First, you need to realize that mental fatigue exists, it makes every moment of your day difficult, and you cannot continue to live and work at the same rhythm, with the usual intensity. Following these recommendations can help a person who is experiencing mental and psychological fatigue.
Good night's sleep
Sleep is a vital need. Lack of sleep kills faster than lack of food. The most natural and simple way to eliminate mental fatigue is sleep. During sleep, information received during daytime mental activity is organized and filtered. In addition, brain cells are cleared of neurotoxins. The ability to concentrate and remember a large amount of information also depends on the quality and duration of sleep. It is believed that normal sleep duration is around 8 hours a night, but if you suffer from mental fatigue, you will need to increase your sleep duration, a good night's sleep of up to 10-12 hours is recommended.
Nutritious food
Pay attention to your diet. Find time in the morning for a normal, full breakfast, and not a “bird” one - a cup of coffee on the fly. Sit down and have a thorough breakfast. You will get energy for the whole day, and a feeling of moral satisfaction and confidence.
Meditation
Another way to combat mental fatigue is meditation. This option is not as simple as regular sleep and requires some preparation. However, with the help of meditative practices you can have a wonderful rest and relaxation. Regular meditation helps to consciously get rid of mental garbage, i.e. “spent” thoughts and experiences that prevent you from developing and moving forward in business.
Ecotherapy – contemplation of the beauty of nature or natural phenomena
Quiet contemplation of something beautiful and aesthetically pleasing also helps restore the functionality of a tired brain. You can look at works of art or admire the landscape, or just look at fire, water, clouds. Ecotherapy makes it possible to relax, redirect attention and get positive emotions from what you see. Looking at beautiful objects helps to distract from pressing problems and, in addition, develops imagination.
Why is this condition dangerous?
Doctors note that the development of such fatigue and the progression of its symptoms can seriously harm health. So, some people escape from overexertion and stress by engaging in bad habits, and this is the cause of alcoholism, etc., relationships with loved ones may collapse due to emotional instability. There are also problems in the digestive system against the background of constant stress and nervous experiences. Then problems with the heart and blood vessels develop, a person begins to experience pressure surges and metabolic disorders.
People with overwork often have characteristic external defects - bruises under the eyes, pale skin, bluish lips, deterioration in the quality of hair and nails, etc.
At the same time, it is worth understanding that overwork is deadly. Thus, in Japan there is already a special term “karoshi”, which means death due to overwork, which usually leads to strokes and heart attacks. This definition was derived after studying a large number of deaths among workers. Then the researchers came to the conclusion that the reason for their premature death was that people overloaded themselves at work and were constantly overtired, worked to exhaustion and did not pay attention to health disorders. Rough calculations have shown that 10 thousand people a year are susceptible to this phenomenon.
Regain vigor and restore health. What will relieve fatigue in the fall? More details
What is overwork?
Overwork occurs when overtime hours worked, week after week or year after year, begin to have a detrimental effect on a person's health, family, community and economy. What happens is that fatigue and stress accumulate, leading to a greater risk of errors, accidents, injuries, health problems, reduced product quality, and decreased productivity.
Working hard is to some extent a competitive advantage for both employees and management. However, the resulting fatigue also leads to poor health in the long term.
Overwork is a self-destructive condition. A situation where there is too much work, not enough time to complete the required tasks and not enough resources will certainly not lead to anything good.
The body's response to overwork varies from person to person, but ensuring industrial safety in such conditions is difficult. Ideas about overwork of an individual are of great importance, since each working person reacts differently to overwork.
Endurance and the ability to cope with stress are individual for each working employee and depend on his needs, grievances, ambitions, lifestyle and expectations.
How to deal with the situation?
If there are symptoms of fatigue, both physical and mental, you need to act. In the first case, as the doctor said earlier, you need to give yourself a good rest. The only thing you should understand is that, for example, you won’t be able to get enough sleep - you must definitely adjust your regime and always rest normally.
If we are talking about mental overstrain, we need to act more comprehensively. “First, you need to try to organize your day so that you have time for quality sleep of at least 8 hours. Naturally, you should take care of your diet and make it more balanced. You should also not forget about physical activity - various walks and physical exercises,” notes Evgenia Parshina.
In addition, the immunologist advises, in order to normalize the condition and overcome chronic fatigue syndrome, to devote time to those activities that you have wanted to get interested in for a long time, but did not have enough time and energy. For example, this could be embroidery, knitting, watching movies, as well as other hobbies. “The most important thing in this matter is to have fun and positive emotions,” the specialist concludes.
Fatigue and overwork in school-age children.
The health of a school-age child should be treated very carefully. At this age, it is easy to miss some disease or problem that may make itself felt in the future. Huge workloads at school, when it is necessary to master a large amount of educational information, additional classes in clubs, and extracurricular activities can lead to fatigue. Fatigue means a temporary decrease in the body’s performance, which appears after hard work over a certain period of time.
The following signs indicate the beginning of a student’s fatigue:
— decrease in labor productivity (the number of errors and incorrect answers increases, the time it takes to complete work operations);
- weakening of internal inhibition (motor restlessness, frequent distractions, absent-mindedness are observed);
- deterioration in the regulation of physiological functions (heart rhythm and coordination of movements are disturbed);
- the appearance of a feeling of fatigue.
Fatigue, in itself, does not pose a danger, since changes in the functional state of the body disappear after sleep and sufficient rest. In this regard, it is necessary to dwell on the issues of preventing fatigue.
In schoolchildren, signs of fatigue are unstable and quickly disappear during rest at recess or after returning from school.
Active recreation, being in the open air, and positive emotions contribute to the restoration of students’ mental performance.
Considering the physiological essence of fatigue, hygienists are looking for ways to delay its onset and prevent the development of fatigue.
So that the activity does not lead to a state of overwork, but has a positive effect on the growth and development of the child, it must be standardized. Hygienic regulation of activities should be based on:
— on ensuring the optimal state of the child’s body in the process of learning and upbringing;
— mental or physical stress should not exceed functional capabilities;
- the activity should perform a developing, training role, ensuring the favorable development of the growing organism.
The organization of education for children and adolescents in schools should be carried out in accordance with basic hygienic requirements (principles), compliance with which prolongs the period of stable performance, delays the onset of fatigue and prevents the development of fatigue.
But if for one reason or another (excessive stress, insufficient rest, illness) normal functions are not restored, the child develops overwork, which is a pathological process.
Overfatigue is a state of fatigue, the signs of which are not eliminated either by daily or weekly rest.
The initial signs of overwork are changes in the student’s behavior, decreased academic performance, loss of appetite, and the presence of certain functional neuropsychic disorders (tearfulness, irritability, nervous tics, etc.). With overwork, various autonomic disorders, especially of the cardiovascular system, can also be observed.
Pronounced signs of overwork are:
- a sharp and prolonged decrease in mental and physical performance;
— neuropsychic disorders (sleep disturbances, feelings of fear, hysteria);
- persistent changes in the regulation of autonomic functions (arrhythmia, vegetative-vascular dystonia).
To fully restore performance, eliminate neuropsychic disorders and violations of regulatory processes in the student’s body, longer rest is required, and in some cases, complex treatment with the use of medications, physiotherapeutic procedures and therapeutic exercises.
To prevent overwork, it is necessary to establish a child’s daily routine, completely eliminate lack of sleep, reduce workload, properly organize the shift between mental work and rest, and increase time in the fresh air.
Daily routine is the distribution of time for all types of activities and rest during the day, taking into account age and health status.
The daily routine of children and adolescents, in accordance with age characteristics, includes the following mandatory elements:
- free time, the opportunity to provide the student with physical activity of his own choice;
- diet - intervals between meals should not exceed 3.5-4 hours with 4-5 meals a day;
- duration and frequency of sleep - for children 6-7 years old, 11.5 hours of sleep are required (10 hours at night and 1.5 hours during the day). The duration of sleep in school-age children changes with age and is: at 7-10 years old - 11-10 hours, at 11-14 years old - 10-9 hours, at 15-17 years old - 9-8 hours.
- time spent in the fresh air during the day - the total duration of stay in the fresh air should be at least 3-3.5 hours at primary school age, on average - 2.5-3 hours, at senior school age - 2-2.5 hours ;
- duration and place of compulsory classes, both in educational institutions and at home.
Being a healthy modern child is hard work; being parents is a task for strong-willed and caring mothers and fathers. Have an easy life journey from wise teachers on it.
Department hygienist
hygiene of children and adolescents L. V. Mikhalevskaya
