While the negative effects of fatigue on safety are fairly obvious there are also more long term effects that can wreak havoc on a person’s health and wellbeing which sometimes only take a backseat to the more immediate effects such as road crashes. Despite us paying attention to the danger of fatigue on our roads, fatigue can be dangerous in general and the negative effects on our health and no less serious.
One of the consequences of fatigue that is often not discussed is its ability to influence blood pressure, increasing it during work activities. Although pushing through fatigue to get the job done is a trait that is admired by most hardworking citizens, the truth is that working hard while fatigued could be dangerous to one’s health.
There have been studies which have proven that fatigued individuals cardiovascular systems are forced to work harder when they attempt to complete strenuous tasks or exert themselves.
The latest research by the University of Alabama, which was published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology, revealed that fatigued people’s blood pressure increased more than those who were well rested.
According to the researchers, when people who are suffering from fatigue perceive a task as achievable and worth undertaking, they increase their effort in order to make up for their lowered capabilities due to fatigue. This causes their blood pressure to rise and remain high until the task is completed or until they stop exerting themselves because they believe that have successfully completed the task or it is too difficult for them to complete.
Researchers say these findings are particularly relevant to understanding health associated with fatigue because it establishes a link between cardiovascular responsiveness and negative health outcomes. Some of the negative health consequence s of this chain of events includes hypertension and heart disease. Researchers further explain that those people with chronically exaggerate cardiovascular responses are at a greater health risk than individuals who are not. Therefore as researchers point out, chronic fatigue may pose a tremendous health risk, given the right conditions.
What strikes me as especially worrying about this is that truck drivers have already been established as some of the most unhealthy people among the population in Oz – attributed mostly to their time spent on the road, lack of exercise, bad eating habits, alcohol drinking, smoking and drug taking which already places them at risk of heart disease and other health problems but coupled with fatigue, which they are also at a high risk of experiencing, the results could be deadly.
This is yet another reason why Fatigue Management is of such great importance to the road freight industry and particularly to those on the road and those responsible for scheduling shifts.
Link between Fatigue and the Heart
The link between fatigue and our hearts is a definite one. As we have already discussed above being fatigued and undergoing strenuous activity (including driving a truck long distance) can have serious negative effects on the heart.
But people with heart problems may also find that one of the symptoms they suffer from is fatigue. Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome may have a serious heart problem. Research done almost a decade ago revealed that blood circulation problems may be an underlying cause of the chronic fatigue syndrome.
Doctors found that people who suffer from chronic fatigue also experienced their hearts pumping blood at a much lower rate than regular healthy people.
Although there are many reasons that could be causing Fatigue, it is important that people suffering from it don’t just ignore it but address the issue and try to figure out the cause. A constant feeling of fatigue even when you get enough rest means that there may be a deeper, underlying issue or medical condition that requires attention. Sometimes fatigue may be a warning sign that something is wrong and you need to see a doctor to figure out the problem especially when your own attempts such as eating, sleeping and living right don’t yield any positive results.
Importance of Fatigue Management Training
The consequences of failing to manage fatigue effectively go beyond just the risk of crashing on the road because of falling asleep behind the wheel. As we have already discussed, there are serious health risks that are linked to chronic fatigue, heart disease being just one of many.
It is important that employers, as well as workers understand the importance of fatigue management and what legislature has to say about it by undergoing Fatigue Management Training.
There are various options available depending on your company’s or individual needs, budget and resources, whether you prefer the convenience of online training or the comprehensiveness of a face-to-face trainer, there are options available to you to ensure you and your company are compliant.
