We've discussed the many ways stress affects your health almost always for the negative in this space. The stress that comes from working overtime, according to a European study, can be just as damaging to your heart.

Based on medical data collected on some 6,000 patients over 11 years, civil service employees who worked more than three hours (on top of their typical seven-hour day) elevated their risk for non-fatal heart attacks, angina and death due to heart disease by 60 percent, compared to those who avoided OT.

Unfortunately, the study pinpointed many possibilities for the spike in heart disease -- type A behaviors, sleep deprivation, stress, a lack of work-related freedom and high blood pressure -- but no firm culprits. And, it didn't track blue-collar workers either, which makes me wonder if those downbeat numbers would've risen even higher.

Unfortunately, stress isn't the only thing that can harm your heart. Check out our Facebook page for an interesting study we posted recently about the deadly mix of bottled-up anger and cardiac problems and many more links to studies than we have room to post here.

European Heart Journal May 11, 2010

ScienceDaily May 11, 2010