A study conducted earlier this year revealed that ‘festive hormones’ can have a traumatic effect over Christmas time and can cause stress, fatigue and mental exhaustion.

Writing in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology earlier this year, the University of Edinburgh’s Mike Ludwig, predicted that come December, ‘it is inevitable that, once again, we will again totally surrender to the effects of our Christmas hormones.’

Dr Robert Lustig from the University of California in San Francisco says that the Christmas season is “fraught with emotionally driven behaviour, driving irrational thoughts and actions”, the Daily Mailreports.

Scientists have said that an increased mix of cortisol, serotonin and dopamine in the body are at play over the holiday season, which can result in stress, overeating and a rise in blood sugar.

For those of us working in retail the magic doesn’t stop at Christmas time with only a short break and then back to the annual post christmas sales.

On Tuesday Industrial Relations Minister (Queensland) urged employers and workers to heed advice from WHS Queensland to avoid the dangers of fatigue coming into Christmas.

“Many workplaces, including retailers, road transport companies, tradespeople and manufacturers, are at their busiest at this time of year and staff are working long hours to complete jobs before the holidays start,” Mr Dick said.

“Working when mentally or physically exhausted impairs a person’s ability to think clearly, which is vital when making safety-related decisions.”

Mr Dick said fatigue could result from prolonged periods of physical or mental effort without enough time to rest and recover.

“Studies have shown that people who stay awake for 17 hours can impair performance as badly as if they were driving over the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.05%,” he said.

“Staying awake for 21 hours straight is equivalent to double the legal drink driving limit.

 

---