A new study conducted by Norwegian researchers revealed that employees working overtime are more prone to anxiety and depression.

Study’s lead author Elisabeth Kleppa and co-workers of the University of Bergen, Norway, figured this out by analyzing data on working hours and questionnaires that judged the mental health of over 10,000 workers.

The study researchers discovered that overtime was linked with higher nervousness and depression scores among both men and women.

As compared to the 9,000 people who worked normal hours, 40 hours or less, the 1,350 workers, who worked overtime, 41 to 100 hours per week, were more depressed and anxious.

The scores showed that nervousness and depression increased from around 9% for men with normal working hours to 12.5% for those who worked overtime, while in women, depression rate increased from 7 percent to 12 percent with overtime.

In both sexes, chances of possible anxiety and depression were higher among workers having lower incomes levels and people with problems such as limited education. The link between overtime and anxiety/depression was higher among men who worked for 49 to 100 hours on a weekly basis.

European Union work rules give employees the right to refuse to work over 48 hours a week.

The study is published in the ‘June’ Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).