Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath’s social media post on having suffered a mild stroke has turned the focus back on health issues afflicting the relatively young. Nithin is 44 and a self-acclaimed fitness enthusiast. Sandalwood matinee idol Puneeth Rajkumar, who loved working out at the gym, suffered a heart attack at age 46. Stroke and heart attack, once considered the worries of senior citizens, are becoming increasingly common across age groups—and they are not confined to couch potatoes. If we were once worried that desk jobs brought on a bouquet of lifestyle disorders like diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity, tenuous links are now being established between regular gym workouts and sudden heart attacks. This triggers a big question: to gym or not to gym?
Forty-six out of every lakh of Indians in the 19-49 age group suffer strokes; one in five heart attack patients are younger than 40—and both these numbers are on the rise in the post-Covid era. Strokes and heart attacks were once thought to be the result of an unhealthy cocktail of poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, substance use and overconsumption of alcohol. But the causative factors could be more complex—a clue may lie in Nithin’s post, which cited stress and lack of sleep. Among the host of risk factors that the young deal with these days, the most deadly appears to be stress—termed a ‘silent killer’—while sleep deprivation is a new epidemic that the medical world is grappling with. Stress has become a part of childhood too, and our education system is responsible in no small measure. What should be a carefree period of life is fraught with the apprehension of securing good scores. The Indian system could take a leaf or two out of the Japanese style of schooling, which focuses on knowledge and not grades.
Which brings us to a crucial question: Is the stress, hypertension and sleepless nights worth the chimera that the human race is chasing? Especially now that it is established that Covid enhances the chance of heart attacks and strokes. Reducing the risks of stroke starts with small everyday choices such as eating healthy, getting more exercise and better sleep. Experts advise taking a step back and focusing on a slower, holistic lifestyle, and striking a work-life balance. Head honchos, too, must to take a break to chase butterflies.