Is Your Brain Overworked From Your Hours Of Work?
Is Your Brain Overworked From Your Hours Of Work?
OR, Why Teachers Have Big Brains!
Feeling fatigued and a bit emotional? Not as sharp as you normally are?
It could be due to changes to your brain from your hours of work!
A 2022 survey conducted by the Australian Education Union (SA) (AEU SA) found that full-time teachers in South Australia were averaging 52 hours of work per week.
A recent study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine has revealed that working beyond 52 hours per week—which is common among teachers—may result in notable structural changes in the brain; specifically, in regions linked to executive function and emotional regulation.
Don’t Get Big Headed About It.
The research, conducted by South Korean scientists, involved 110 healthcare workers and revealed that those with extended working hours showed increased brain volume in regions such as the middle frontal gyrus, insula and superior temporal gyrus.
The middle frontal gyrus is a key part of the frontal lobe. It is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, problem-solving and attention control.
The insula is located deep within the cerebral cortex. It plays a role in emotional processing, self-awareness, and interoception, which is the perception of internal bodily states.
The superior temporal gyrus is essential for language comprehension, auditory processing and social cognition.
Each of these areas helps shape how we think, feel and interact with the world.
While these changes might initially suggest enhanced cognitive alertness or efficiency, researchers caution that they likely represent the brain’s adaptive response to prolonged stress. Over time, this could lead to fatigue, emotional instability and diminished cognitive function.
What does this mean for Schools and Preschools?
This study highlights the important need for schools and preschools to have systems of work in place that remove or mitigate excessive working hours and reduce fatigue. This needs to occur to protect educators mental and physical well-being.
This also adds to support to what we already know from personal experiences that long work hours lead to adverse health outcomes: including increased risks of stroke, heart disease, depression and anxiety. (And bigger brains.)
As long working hours have been shown to be a foreseeable risk of injury to teachers, employers have a positive duty to put in place controls that remove or mitigate this risk.
For educators, these findings highlight the critical need for us to organise and work collectively to win reasonable workloads to maintain our mental health and overall well-being.
ACTION As a Sub-Branch, it is recommended that you request your Health and Safety Representative (HSR) to initiate a risk assessment at your school or preschool. This assessment should evaluate:
- the length of hours worked by employees
- identify health risks associated with extended work hours, and
- explore strategies to eliminate or mitigate workplace factors contributing to excessive working hours.
If you need assistance or have any questions, contact our office: 8410 0122 or enquiries@ieusa.org.au
Sources:
Overwork and changes in brain structure: a pilot study. Wonpil Jang, et al, South Korea, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online May 2025, doi: 10.1136/oemed-2025-110057
How stress of working long hours may alter your brain
OHS Alert is published by Specialist News Pty Ltd. Workers’ brain structures adversely altered by overwork
Windle, J, Morrison, A, Sellar, S, Squires, R, Kennedy, JP & Murray, C (2022) Teachers at breaking point: Why working in South Australian schools is getting tougher (Report to the Australian Education Union, South Australian Branch). University of South Australia: Adelaide, SA.
