Comment A matter of sleep deprivation (Score 2) 997
"Long work hours" to me is the same as saying sleep deprivation. I am a psychiatry resident and have been working 60-100 hour weeks for years. The cognitive and physiological effects of sleep deprivation have been my pet research topic (now in the form of a book looking for publication).
Are 10-11 hour work days feasible? Biologically, no.
The cognitive side effects you will suffer go like this;
1) The frontal lobes of your brain will start to do a terrible job of "executive functioning" and your capacity for multitasking and concentration will suffer for it.
2) Your ability to learn from mistakes will go down--in your case, you'll fail to note when your code produces unwanted results.
3) You'll be less able to contain your emotional responses. You'll be irritable and and more likely to catastrophize your mistakes.
4) The loss of concentration and reduced mood (coupled with poor sleep) will resemble depression.
Physically;
1) You are going to have metabolic changes-weight gain and difficulty managing your blood sugar. If you are not diabetic you may face it in the future (Type II)
2) It is a long term risk for death, typically from cardiovascular causes e.g. heart attacks and strokes.
3) Your immune system will be impaired. You'll get sick more easily and heal slowly.
4) Your pain threshold will lower along with your coordination. Get used to spilling hot coffee on yourself.
Look at what some other Slashdotters have written about their personal experiences with long work hours. Some have already confirmed this anecdotally but it is all supported by research.
Sleep deprivation can resemble a some psychiatric illnesses such as ADHD and depression.
So is the 10-11 hour work day feasible? What do you want from your life?
Are 10-11 hour work days feasible? Biologically, no.
The cognitive side effects you will suffer go like this;
1) The frontal lobes of your brain will start to do a terrible job of "executive functioning" and your capacity for multitasking and concentration will suffer for it.
2) Your ability to learn from mistakes will go down--in your case, you'll fail to note when your code produces unwanted results.
3) You'll be less able to contain your emotional responses. You'll be irritable and and more likely to catastrophize your mistakes.
4) The loss of concentration and reduced mood (coupled with poor sleep) will resemble depression.
Physically;
1) You are going to have metabolic changes-weight gain and difficulty managing your blood sugar. If you are not diabetic you may face it in the future (Type II)
2) It is a long term risk for death, typically from cardiovascular causes e.g. heart attacks and strokes.
3) Your immune system will be impaired. You'll get sick more easily and heal slowly.
4) Your pain threshold will lower along with your coordination. Get used to spilling hot coffee on yourself.
Look at what some other Slashdotters have written about their personal experiences with long work hours. Some have already confirmed this anecdotally but it is all supported by research.
Sleep deprivation can resemble a some psychiatric illnesses such as ADHD and depression.
So is the 10-11 hour work day feasible? What do you want from your life?
