How lack of sleep can literally kill
you !
Ranjan Das, CEO and MD of SAP
Indian subcontinent died after a massive cardiac arrest in Mumbai on 21st
October 2009.
One of the youngest CEOs in
India, he was just 42 year old when he died.
He was an active sportsman, a fitness freak
and a marathon runner. It was common to see him run on Bandra's Carter Road . Just after
Diwali, on 21st Oct, he returned home from his gym after a workout, collapsed
with a massive heart attack and died.
Why would an exceptionally active, athletic person succumb to heart attack at 42 years of age?
Ranjan Das had mentioned that he faced a lot of stress - that is a common element in most of our lives. But we used to think that by being fit, one could conquer the bad effects of stress on our bodies.
The real reason, which everyone missed was to be found in a small line in the reports - that he used to make do with 4-5 hours of sleep.
Why would an exceptionally active, athletic person succumb to heart attack at 42 years of age?
Ranjan Das had mentioned that he faced a lot of stress - that is a common element in most of our lives. But we used to think that by being fit, one could conquer the bad effects of stress on our bodies.
The real reason, which everyone missed was to be found in a small line in the reports - that he used to make do with 4-5 hours of sleep.
Well-known cardiologists on the subject of 'Heart Disease
caused by Lack of Sleep' have distilled the key
points below in the hope it will save some of our lives.
Some Excerpts:
1. Short sleep duration ( <5 or 5-6 hours ) increased risk for high BP by
350% to 500% compared to those who slept longer than 6 hours per night.
2. Young people ( 25-49 years of age ) are twice as likely to get high BP
if they sleep less.
3 Individuals who slept less than 5 hours a night had a 3-fold increased
risk of heart attacks.
4 Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentrations of
High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. Even after getting adequate sleep later, the levels stayed high!!
5. Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body
such as Interleukin-6 (IL! -6), Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
6. Sleeping for <=5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease.
Sleeping for <=6 hours per night leads to 18% increase in heart disease.
Ideal Sleep
In brief, sleep is composed of two stages: REM ( Rapid Eye Movement ) and
non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, you alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times.
The earlier part of sleep is mostly non-REM. During that period, your pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair your body. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type.
For us to be mentally alert during the day, the latter part of sleep is
more important. No wonder when you wake up with an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, you are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess ( lack of non-REM sleep ), you are tired throughout the day, moving like a zombie and your immunity is way down.
In conclusion:
Barring stress control, Ranjan Das did everything right: eating proper
food, exercising ( ran marathons! ) and maintaining proper weight. But he missed getting proper and adequate sleep. That was what quite likely killed him.
If you are not getting enough sleep ( 7 hours ), you are playing with fire, even if you have a low stress life!
Some Excerpts:
1. Short sleep duration ( <5 or 5-6 hours ) increased risk for high BP by
350% to 500% compared to those who slept longer than 6 hours per night.
2. Young people ( 25-49 years of age ) are twice as likely to get high BP
if they sleep less.
3 Individuals who slept less than 5 hours a night had a 3-fold increased
risk of heart attacks.
4 Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentrations of
High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. Even after getting adequate sleep later, the levels stayed high!!
5. Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body
such as Interleukin-6 (IL! -6), Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.
6. Sleeping for <=5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease.
Sleeping for <=6 hours per night leads to 18% increase in heart disease.
Ideal Sleep
In brief, sleep is composed of two stages: REM ( Rapid Eye Movement ) and
non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, you alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times.
The earlier part of sleep is mostly non-REM. During that period, your pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair your body. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type.
For us to be mentally alert during the day, the latter part of sleep is
more important. No wonder when you wake up with an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, you are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess ( lack of non-REM sleep ), you are tired throughout the day, moving like a zombie and your immunity is way down.
In conclusion:
Barring stress control, Ranjan Das did everything right: eating proper
food, exercising ( ran marathons! ) and maintaining proper weight. But he missed getting proper and adequate sleep. That was what quite likely killed him.
If you are not getting enough sleep ( 7 hours ), you are playing with fire, even if you have a low stress life!
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