Dr. John's Health Matters

Welcome to Dr. John's Health Matters blog.
The articles posted here are from various sources who are duly acknowledged. I would appreciate being immediately notified, if any copywritten material needs to be removed. This blog is not intended to replace the qualified advice of a licensed health practitioner. Readers should exercise their own judgment. Enjoy, subscribe, participate and tell others :)

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Posts tagged "job"

Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2009 ↓

Workplace Bullying Is Associated With Sleep Disturbances →

Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that current or past exposure to workplace bullying is associated with increased sleep disturbances. Associations also were found between observed bullying and sleep disruption, indicating that bullying has detrimental effects even when it is experienced indirectly.

The study shows a high prevalence of workplace bullying, with 11 percent of women and nine percent of men experiencing “hostile behavior” in the work environment at least weekly and for at least six months during the previous 12 months. After adjustment for covariates such as age, occupation, weekly work hours and depressive symptoms, exposure to bullying was significantly associated with self-reported sleep disturbances. The adjusted odds ratio of having disturbed sleep was more than two times higher in men who currently were experiencing workplace bullying (OR=2.29) or had been exposed to daily or almost daily bullying (OR=2.39); women were nearly two times more likely to report having sleep disturbances if they had experienced daily or almost daily bullying (OR=1.73) or had been exposed to bullying for more than five years (OR=1.87).

Thirty-two percent of women and 31 percent of men also reported that they had observed bullying in the workplace in the previous 12 months. The adjusted odds ratio of having disturbed sleep was 60 percent higher in men and twenty percent higher in women who only observed bullying, and it was more than two times higher in men (OR=2.38) and nearly two times higher in women (OR=1.81) who both observed and experienced bullying. .

Principal investigator Isabelle Niedhammer, PhD, epidemiologist and researcher at the UCD School of Public Health & Population Science at the University College Dublin in Ireland, said that exposure to any form of violence or harassment at the workplace may strongly increase the risk of having sleep disturbances.

“Workplace bullying may be considered as one of the leading job stressors and would be a major cause of suicide and other health-related issues,” said Niedhammer. “Our study underlines the need to better understand and prevent occupational risk factors, such as bullying, for sleep disorders.”

For full article, see link above.

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Monday, Aug 24th, 2009 ↓

Why Rich People Really Aren't Happier →

Aug 24, 2009 (Mercola.com)—You already know that money doesn’t buy happiness. But more money doesn’t exactly make life a misery. The wealthy enjoy a sense of control over their lives. They feel secure in their jobs and less stressed about their futures.

But are they much happier than everyone else? Not really. Studies show that lottery winners, heiresses, and the 100 richest Americans are only slightly more satisfied than someone working in a generic office-park cubicle.

The ability to imagine is what sets humans apart from less-evolved species. But it can also be a problem. People assume that a sportier car, a bigger house, or a better-paying job will bring them joy.

But research shows that your memory is less like a collection of photographs than it is like a collection of impressionist paintings rendered by an artist who takes considerable license with his subject. People forget that their last new-car high deflated well before their first trip to the mechanic, and that their raise came with stressful late nights at the office.

In so many areas, people know when enough is enough. Yet the “pause” button often shorts out when it comes to money. The brief pick-me-up that accompanies a raise or windfall (think of it like a caffeine buzz) drives people to want more. But somehow happiness stays in the same place, or even slows down.

Most people need enough to cover the bills and have a bit of extra money left over. After that, each incremental move up the pay scale has less long-term emotional impact. A 20 percent raise won’t make you 20 percent happier. And, in fact, chasing that extra money might just make you miserable.

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