Will your JOB send you to an early grave? Millions say stress from work has driven them to eat junk, smoke, drink more alcohol and exercise less

• e-mail

If you've ever joked your job will be the death of you - you're not alone. 

Millions of workers say work is leaving them tired, stressed and fat, a survey found.

Many feel their work life is leading them to eating a poor diet, preventing them from doing enough exercise and leading to excess drinking and smoking.

The survey was carried out by the British Heart Foundation, which is now calling on employers to encourage staff to spend 10 minutes a day improving their lifestyle.

Millions of workers feel their stressful work life is leading them to eating a poor diet, preventing them from doing enough exercise and leading to excess drinking and smoking, a survey found (file picture)

It found 40 per cent of people felt their job has had a negative impact on their health in the last five years.

And more than half of people felt they had become stressed as a result of their job.

More than a third said they think they have put on weight because of work, and nearly half said their job had driven them to eat more unhealthily.

And long hours mean many skip the gym: the survey also found 43 per cent of people said their work had caused them to exercise less.

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter said their job had led to them to drink more alcohol, while one in ten said it had been a trigger for them to smoke more.

The survey also found 60 per cent of employees regularly do unpaid overtime, with almost two in ten working more than five hours overtime a week.

The charity says the pressures of work leave employees with concerns for their future health, with 29 per cent fearing it could lead to high blood pressure and 21 per cent fearing a heart attack or heart condition. 

The study was carried out as part of the charity's Heart Month of February.

Lisa Young, from the British Heart Foundation said: 'This survey is a stark reminder of just what happens when we don't take our health at work seriously enough.

'Millions of people say they are smoking more, exercising less and putting on weight because they're not considering the impact their job is having on their health and wellbeing.

'Behaviours like these can be extremely damaging, not just to your heart health but also to businesses.

Nearly half of people surveyed said their job drives them to eat unhealthily, and 43 per cent of people say it means they exercise less (file picture)

'From working with over with 9,500 organisations we know that the payoffs of making health at work a top businesses priority are too great to ignore.

'Small steps can make a big difference to your health.

'This Heart Month we're working with organisations across the UK to encourage employees to take 10 minutes every day to make positive changes which could have a life-long benefit to their health.'

 The British Heart Foundation is calling on employers to join its Health at Work programme and run the 10 Minute Heart Month Challenge, starting on February 16.

It says obesity, lack of physical activity and smoking all increase the risk of coronary heart disease, which is the nation's single biggest killer.

Productivity loss as a result of heart and circulatory conditions is estimated to cost businesses £8billion a year, but companies with employee wellness programmes see reduced sickness absence and a 15 per cent increase in output.