Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness
Cardiologist explains risk
factors among Bengaluru’s techies between 20 and 35.
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.
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