A recent Australian study showed that people over 40 years old should not work more than 40 hours a week! But for what reasons? Is it true that one must absolutely reduce one's working time at a certain age?
With age, it is natural to be able to feel a little more tired than before. Even if we are not all equal in the face of aging (some signs of it can be detected as early as age 26 in some cases), most experts in the question agree that our body actually starts to age from 38 years old. It may seem surprising, but at this age, our metabolism is much more like the metabolism of a 60-year-old rather than one or thirty-year-old ...
An irrefutable proof that at this age, our body needs more than ever to rest, because it simply takes more time to recover from each physical or mental effort ...
According to these experts, beyond this fateful threshold of quarantine, work can become a real double-edged sword for some people. Although it can considerably stimulate brain activity, it can lead to increased feelings of fatigue and stress, which, if they occur regularly, can even damage certain areas of the brain responsible for memory, learning, language or reasoning.
What is the ideal number of hours then?
Experts estimate that this can range from 25 up to 35 hours, depending on the age and health status of each. If you suffer from chronic fatigue or frail health, depression or more physical ailments, the ideal time to work during the week is between 25 and 28 hours. Moreover, if the Germans work on average 28 hours a week, this is far from the case for the French who, for twenty years already, "suffer" most of the 35 hours per week! According to Australian researchers, the ideal would be to work part-time ...
Work 40 hours a week: what are the health implications?
The study also explains that the idea that continuing to work at a certain age would help to stay healthy longer is a common misconception. Indeed, the Australian experts explain that beyond 40 years, our cognitive abilities, that is to say our ability to communicate, to remember, to accumulate knowledge, but above all, to concentrate, take a hit! By multiplying the hours of work, we also multiply the risks of getting tired, which inevitably affects our state of mental health and therefore, our cognitive abilities.
Still according to the study, many hours of work, especially if it is a manual job or a factory job, plays a big role in the health of active people, which can cause joint problems. , blood circulation, or may cause the onset of cardiovascular disease.
Knowing how to find the right balance ...
Nevertheless, it is important to qualify because if some people thrive through work and are not ready to take early retirement for example, it is not a coincidence either. Indeed, according to a recent French study this time, it seems that 40% of working people suffer from post-work depression when they retire, overnight ...