Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness
Over time that damages the heart, and even
accelerates levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.
Just the other day, a 33-year-old executive, came
to the emergency in the evening as he suffered a heart attack. I had to do an
emergency stenting in all three of his arteries which were blocked well over 90
per cent. He worked from home but rarely detached himself from his laptop,
logging in at 7 am and logging out at 8 pm. Then he took a 10-minute break and
living alone, ordered food almost every day. He would have his dinner by 9.30
pm, would enjoy a smoke or drink occasionally, take work or personal calls and
sleep by 11 pm.
I recount this story to highlight how punishing
12-hour work days (assuming there is one weekly off) to meet the 70-hour work
week rule being advocated by the likes of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and
now OLA CEO Bhavish Aggarwal can cost the body. The young executive’s life is a
perfect example of how a decade of long sedentary work hours, with the stress
of delivery deadlines that left little time for him to unwind, amplified
moderate risks or underlying conditions faster. Remember the young man slept
the requisite hours but being on a wire during the most productive decade of
his life, had poor sleep quality.
I admitted another young patient with a blood
pressure of 200/115 mmHg, without him feeling it (young people generally do not
feel symptoms of elevated blood pressure). He did sports with a friend on
weekends but that wasn’t enough to offset his high-stress 14-hour five day
week.
HOW DO LONG WORKING HOURS AFFECT THE HEART?
Most of my patients are from the tech park in
Bengaluru’s Whitefield, between 20 and 35. All of them have a similar work
profile — no less than 12-hour workdays or long night shifts, emergency duties,
two hours of commute time through congested roads and crunching sleep, family
time and recreation in about an eight to ten-hour window, often interrupted by
work calls. Zero physical activity.
The body is clearly in a prolonged adrenaline rush
because of too much stress and demands made on it. Excess adrenaline constricts
the arteries that supply the heart with blood, reducing blood flow, hastening
plaque buildup and inflammation. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol
cause the heart to beat faster, elevating blood pressure in the process. Over
time that damages the heart, and even accelerates levels of blood sugar,
cholesterol and triglycerides. No exercise means weight gain.
Chronic stress results in irregular heart rhythms,
which can cause blood to pool in the left atrial chamber of the heart,
contributing to clot formation. The clot can then travel from the heart to the
brain and result in a stroke.
For those with underlying conditions like diabetes,
cholesterol or with a family history, even short-term stress can dislodge
plaques from the arteries it narrows down, resulting in a blood clot that, in
its attempt to repair the torn wall of the arteries, could grow large enough to
block blood flow completely and cause a heart attack. During angioplasty
procedures among the young, I have often found that the plaque may not have been
big enough but the stress-induced thickness of the blood has led to quicker
clot formation.
LIFESTYLE CORRECTION MUST
A Lancet study has shown that individuals who
worked more than 55 hours per week had a 13 per cent increased risk of
developing heart disease compared to those who worked standard hours.Smoking
and alcohol are other stressors and can accelerate triggers even with limited
use. So lifestyle correction — diet, sleep and exercise — are a must. If
prescribed medication, strictly go by your doctor’s advisory.
