A new study from Canada has identified some of the most effective “natural remedies” for reducing stress caused by work.

Writing in The Conversation, researchers from University of Calgary, Western University, and University of Regina reported that they studied nearly 2,900 workers across Canada to examine how certain habits can help lower stress.

The study comes at a time when workplace stress has become a global issue.

According to the researchers, work-related stress is chronic for many employees. It accumulates because of heavy workloads, demanding or unpredictable schedules, after-hours emails and messages, and the feeling that work spills over into evenings, weekends, and family time.

Over time, this type of stress can lead to both physical and mental exhaustion. Previous studies have linked workplace stress to burnout, Depression, Anxiety disorder, fatigue, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and an increased risk of premature death.

Using more than ten years of data from a national longitudinal survey, the researchers analyzed several health-related behaviors to determine how they influenced the relationship between job stress and overall health.

Initially, the team expected that exercise would be the most effective stress-relieving habit. However, the results showed that sleep quality had a much greater impact.

As a result, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and getting enough sleep each night appears to be the best way to cope with heavy workloads and ongoing job pressure.

A healthy, balanced diet was also found to significantly reduce stress.

Most surprisingly, although exercise remains highly beneficial for overall health, it was not as effective as good sleep and proper nutrition in reducing the harmful effects of work stress on health.

Even so, the researchers emphasized that healthy habits alone cannot fully compensate for jobs that are designed in ways that exhaust employees. Employers still have a responsibility to create healthier and more sustainable work environments.