Office workers who regularly spend long hours at their desks are more likely to have “hidden” high blood pressure, a study has found.

Researchers at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, followed 3,547 white collar employees over a five-year period and found that those working 49 or more hours per week were 70% more likely to exhibit “masked hypertension” – a condition where blood pressure is recorded as normal when a person is examined by doctor, but high on other occasions – than those who spent less time at the office. They were also 66% more likely to have “sustained” hypertension.

“People should be aware that long work hours might affect their heart health, and if they’re working long hours, they should ask their doctors about checking their blood pressure over time with a wearable monitor,” said the study’s lead author, Xavier Trudel, an assistant professor in social and preventive medicine at Laval University.

Office workers who regularly spend long hours at their desks are more likely to have “hidden” high blood pressure, a study has found.

Researchers at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, followed 3,547 white collar employees over a five-year period and found that those working 49 or more hours per week were 70% more likely to exhibit “masked hypertension” – a condition where blood pressure is recorded as normal when a person is examined by doctor, but high on other occasions – than those who spent less time at the office. They were also 66% more likely to have “sustained” hypertension.

“People should be aware that long work hours might affect their heart health, and if they’re working long hours, they should ask their doctors about checking their blood pressure over time with a wearable monitor,” said the study’s lead author, Xavier Trudel, an assistant professor in social and preventive medicine at Laval University.