Britons seek fewer work hours as longer hours injurious to health

With recent research showing that long working hours can make us ill and ineffective, one in 10 Britons would like to work fewer hours, says a new Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey.

The survey showed that full-time employees clock up an average of 36.3 hours per week.

In 1995, Britons put in an average of 38.2 hours per week.

According to a Guardian report, long working hours are associated with a greater risk of heart disease, stroke and even diabetes.

"The evidence suggests that if anything, lack of sleep is underrated, linked as it has been to everything from obesity to premature mortality," it added.

Even the French are now debating whether to leave their 35-hour working week because in practice too few people are sticking to it, the report noted.

Working more than a 40-hour week has already been linked to stress, dissatisfaction and compromised health.

A new research on 8,350 Korean adults has found that long work hours increase one's risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) or narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.

"We found that those working 61-70 hours a week had a 42 percent increased likelihood of developing coronary heart disease," said lead researcher Yun-Chul Hong from the department of preventive medicine at the Seoul National University in South Korea.

Hong and his team found that working hours were significantly related to the risk factors of coronary heart disease such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes and smoking habits.