Long Work Hours & Its Consequences! Here's How Moonlighting Can Affect Mental Health

While everyone is busy debating whether earning extra money is right or not through taking side jobs, health experts have shown a red flag to this process. The discussion on moonlighting started when companies like Wipro sacked their 300 employees for taking up side jobs.

The health experts suggest that working 11-12 hours a day can bring the long-term effect of mental health disorders in a person. It doesn't only impact mental health but also physical health. People who work more than 12 hours are 2.5 times more exposed to mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.

The National Library of Medicine published research and revealed that long work hours, which is general in moonlighting, can contribute to work and psychological stress. People who work more than 10-12 hours a day, 40 hours of overtime a month, or more than 60 hours a week can quickly get stressed feelings and symptoms of depression, suggest Hindustan Times.

The study also revealed that female workers are more prone to experience depression and stress than males when working the same number of overtime hours. Health experts suggest working within the limit of mental and physical capabilities as going beyond the same can impact anyone's health severely.

Moonlighting- A Common Phenomenon

Moonlighting has become a common phenomenon among employees after the COVID-19 pandemic. Most people are looking for a second job because the pandemic led to slashed salaries and loss of employment. People who do consistent overtime also face a lack of sleep, low energy, and less interest in talking with people.

According to several studies, lack of sleep can negatively affect our psychological condition, weaken our defence against disease and impair our judgment. Those people also face several physical health problems such as neck, chest, or back pain, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease. It's rightly said that excess of anything is not good, but still, people do the same. In the debate, some are against moonlighting, and some feel it's right for those who want to earn extra money.

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