The answer is overexertion. When you push yourself too hard, it involves physical or mental efforts that are beyond your abilities at that moment.
Three signs of overexertion are some of the most common causes of work-related injuries: dehydration, fatigue, and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Let’s look at each of these three top culprits.
Dehydration: Occurs when your body loses more water than you are taking in. It can happen quickly, and common symptoms include cracked or dry lips, dry eyes, dry mouth, and dark-colored urine.
- How to avoid: You can take frequent breaks to drink water and avoid sugary sports and energy drinks.
Fatigue: Occurs when you are pushing your body too hard. The common signs of fatigue are depression, increased blood pressure, dizziness, and irregular breathing. Becoming irritable or irrational, as well as a decrease in your cognitive function, can be due to fatigue.
- How to avoid: Ensure you are getting enough sleep each night. Sleep is essential because it soothes and restores our bodies after a long day. The lack of sleep consistently over a period can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. It can also affect your judgments and mental acuity.
Hypoglycemia: Occurs when you do not take the time to eat, causing you to have low blood sugar. The common signs of low blood sugar are confusion, nervousness, and fatigue, which can be very dangerous.
- How to avoid: You can take breaks every 3 to 4 hours to eat regularly during your workday.
Repetitive movements and specific activities are related to overexertion or incorrectly doing an activity or task. It can place undue stress on connective tissues, muscles, bones, and joints, causing an overexertion injury. Sudden, abrupt movements of bending, pushing, climbing, twisting, pulling, throwing, crawling, and reaching can lead to overexertion injuries. Prolonged activities can eventually lead to fatigue, or incorrect technique, such as lifting objects incorrectly, sitting with poor posture, standing in an awkward position, and using the wrong form during exercise. Also, consider the constant use of a computer mouse, or typing or writing.
Overexertion is the leading cause of injuries such as:
- Muscle sprains
- Muscle strains
- Fractures
You can also develop mental overexertion after focusing for an extended period on cognitive activity. This can make you feel mentally burned out.
- Avoid mental burnout by taking breaks during many hours of studying or working.
Some thoughts on how to help your employees to overcome overexertion is by encouraging them to stay physically and emotionally fit and recognize the signs of your staff when they are fatigued or showing signs of hypoglycemia or dehydration. Encourage them to take regular breaks to stay well-hydrated and nourished, avoid overdoing things, and pay attention to their body’s warning signs. Also, encourage employees to exercise, seek relaxation, and prioritize sleep. Educate them by picking a topic each month on how to prevent overexertion.
Some common ways to avoid overexertion are:
- Warm up your muscles before doing an activity
- Avoid staying in the same position for more than 30 minutes
- Do exercises to keep your joints healthy
- Learn proper techniques and forms for the tasks and exercises you are doing
- Lift heavy objects with your legs, not your back
- Rest after repetitive or strenuous activities
- Try to rest one day out of every seven when exercising
- Gradually increase your physical activities
Overexertion is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that your body or mind needs much-deserved rest.