For Mohini time is of the essence. Her days are packed with meetings, deadlines, and a lot of travel. It's not easy being the Vice-president of a company. Mohini's promotion a month and a half ago has been a giant leap professionally, but it's come at a cost. What Mohini misses most is a good night's sleep.
“I get to sleep only four hours on a week day. Because of all the travel involved in my work, my sleep pattern has taken a beating,” says Mohini.
And what's more, there is a link with heart problem. A recent study by the University of Warwick and University College, London found that change in a person's sleeping pattern doubles a person's risk of dying of a heart attack.
“If you need seven hours of sleep but you sleep for only five means increased cardiovascular risk,” says Cardiologist, Max Hospital, Dr Ashok Seth.
And contrary to popular opinion - less sleep is not better. An earlier study had found that people who slept about five hours a night had about a 40 percent higher rate of heart attacks than people who slept eight hours a night.
And doctors in India say the worst hit, are young working Indians.
“BPOs, Media persons, lawyers are among the worst hit,” says Seth.
The leading cause for sleep deprivation is stress. And it is this stress that triggers the release of chemicals called catecholemines. These chemicals have been found to be bad for the heart.
That may sound scary, but let's face it, your work hours are not going to change all that much. Deadlines will need to be met and, then with the time left, there are friends and family, so many demands on your time. So how do you squeeze in those requisite hours of sleep?
Well you don't need to sleep all eight hours. Experts say, an effective way to counter the ill effects of sleep deprivation is to include at least 40 minutes of moderate exercise and 20 minutes of yoga or meditation in your daily routine.
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