BPO workers risk early ageing

Chennai: Ageing would set in very early for sleep-deprived youth working continuously on night shifts in BPO firms, warn experts.

"Heavy food during night, skipping breakfast, eating lunch in the evening and all such irregular habits affect their health," Deputy Director, sleep disorders unit, Singapore General Hospital Dr Lim Li Ling says.

Besides premature ageing, there overall performance would be affected due to lack of proper sleep, Ling, who is specialising in neurophysiology and was recently in Chennai in connection with a seminar, says.

"The performance of youths working in night shifts is affected. Since, they are sleep-deprived, their efficiency and alertness is less compared to those who sleep sufficiently. Their concentration is hindered due to lack of sleep,” she says.

“Frequent headaches, fatigue and sleepiness are caused. Their reflexes diminish affecting work efficiency, she adds. Though, they have become the envy of others with the fat salary they are pocketing, they are actually paying a heavy price by risking their health.”

Echoing her views, Dr Prithakachari, a neurology specialist, says such youths have a tendency to become unsociable.

"Youths working in BPOs lose their ability to enjoy and become irritable and unsociable." Dr N Ramakrishnan, director, Nithra Institute of Sleep Sciences in Chennai, points out that sleep deprivation leads to accidents while driving vehicles.

"Sleep deprived youths cause danger to their own limbs and lives besides risking the lives of others on road," Ramakrishnan said.

Elaborating on the importance of night sleep, Prithakachari said: "Nature has a rhythm of its own. There is a time for sleep, work and play. After invention of electric bulb, the natural rhythm of human activity called circadian rhythm had altered as people began working during nights".

"Now, we sleep less, play and work more than any other time in the history of man kind," she added.

Explaining the sleep cycle, Ramakrishnan said: "Malatinin is one chemical which controls the cycle. The brain and body are more active when malatinin secretion is high. Its secretion is high during daytime, when human beings should be awake and alert. Secretion of malatinin is low during night, inducing sleep."