Health Concerns That Hurt Workplace Productivity and Their Treatments
As an entrepreneur, your health is incredibly important to your success. If you are unhealthy, or suffer from any one of various health concerns, your productivity suffers and your level of success is hampered. As such, it’s important to be aware of health concerns that negatively impact your productivity and treatments that are available for them, should you suffer from them.
Smoking
There is no longer any doubt about how smoking can negatively impact your health. From lung disease to cancer, it’s a deadly habit. Still, it can be easy to dismiss the long term effect, given society’s tendency to emphasize immediate gratification. It’s important to note, however, that it can have a negative impact on your productivity in various aspects of your life, including work.
Over half of the United States has banned smoking indoors in all enclosed workplaces, including all restaurants and bars. If you live in one of those states or do your work in a place that doesn’t allow you to smoke indoors, you’ll have to stop what you’re doing to take any smoke breaks. Given the amount of time spent on smoke breaks that could otherwise be spent on productive entrepreneurial efforts, it’s safe to say that productivity can take a blow as a result of smoking. When you add in the time you could end up spending away from work as a result of smoking-related illness, the potential costs are significant.
Smoking can be especially difficult to treat since it’s highly addictive and the means to do so are generally speaking very accessible. It usually takes multiple attempts at quitting before success is found. Some treatment options include nicotine replacement, counseling, medication, self-help, Varenicline, and a combined effort of counseling and medication. It’s best to consult with your doctor before deciding on a treatment option, since he or she should have some insight into what options are most likely to be effective and appropriate for you.
Alcoholism
Many people enjoy a little social drinking every now and then. While that may be relatively harmless, suffering from alcoholism doesn’t do any good for anyone. In terms of work, alcoholism tends to result in absenteeism, injuries, health complications, and overall loss of productivity. The need to drink that drives alcoholics can be incredibly distracting, and even if you think you can still function after you’ve had a few drinks, you don’t have a clear perception of your abilities when you are impaired. You may not even recognize the symptoms indicative of a drinking problem .
Treatments for alcoholism are similar to those for smoking. Counseling and medication are common therapies. It’s important to note that the withdrawals that alcoholics suffer from when they try to quit can be quite severe . In the case of delirium tremens, an extreme symptom of withdrawal, it can even result in death. It’s critical that if you suffer from alcoholism that you seek medical support when trying to quit so you can do so safely and with the necessary support.
Varicose Veins
It’s normal for your body to experience a degree of wear and tear as you go throughout life. Certain lifestyle choices can exacerbate the damage your body experiences. As counterintuitive as it may sound, physical inactivity does more harm to your body than anything else. Among other things, it can contribute to the development of varicose veins. Varicose veins can cause a great deal of discomfort, which can be incredibly distracting while you’re trying to work, resulting in a loss of productivity. Those who spend extended periods of time sitting are more susceptible to developing varicose veins. Fortunately there are treatments that require little to no down time that can have you back in the office in no time at all.
Medical treatments for varicose veins include things like sclerotherapy, laser treatments, catheter-assisted procedures that use radiofrequency or laser energy, ambulatory phlebectomy, vein stripping, and endoscopic vein surgery. These treatment methods typically work by either removing the veins or closing them off. If you prefer to try nonmedical interventions first, compression stockings, low-impact exercises, and weight loss can help reduce the symptoms you experience and severity of your varicose veins. These options won’t fix them though. To get rid of the veins, you’ll have to seek medical treatment. As with all treatments, it’s important to talk to your doctor before moving forward. The treatment option that is best for you will depend on a variety of factors. Your personal health, the size of the varicose veins, and even the pigment of your skin can all impact what treatments are best for you. Your doctor should have insight that can help you receive the most appropriate treatment.
Your health is paramount to your success as an entrepreneur. Various health concerns can hurt your productivity in the workplace. You owe it to yourself to be aware of things that could negatively impact your health and the treatment options available to you should you find yourself in need of them.
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