Chennai: Statistics emerging out of an independent survey conducted on IT and IT-enabled services sector employees in Chennai by a private firm, the Anti-Ageing Clinic, shows that about 40 per cent of them can't sleep, an equal number are obese, 50 per cent suffer from gastritis, and 12 per cent are infertile.
Employees like AV Kabilan of HCL couldn't have agreed more with the findings. He is 51 years old and works the overnight shift. He can't sleep during the day, and the ill effects are already showing.
“It affects not just me but a whole lot of youngsters in the age range of 21 to 30. They’re looking older, they're in poor health and they aren't able to sleep. At some point of time it starts to affect your decisions as well,” says Kabilan.
People who work overnight tend to take in diet rich in carbohydrates to keep the energy levels up. In turn, they compromise on essential nutrients in their food.
“They sit in front of computers for most of the day and then overeat, mainly carbohydrates, so they don't get a balanced diet. They burn the midnight fuel and get irritated in the daytime so they have cravings for food with high-carb content, like chocolates and pasta and pizza. And high calories are a dangerous factor,” says Dietician, Age Management Specialist, Dr Kousalya V Nathan.
However, corporates are waking up to this problem. Companies like HCL are making provisions to provide quality health food in their canteens and also provide full-time facilities like an in-house gym. But firstly what the companies need to do is spread awareness among its employees about the far-reaching effects of this problem.
With India being globally recognised for its back-office support in software, it makes sense to take care of the people who're doing the work. And even the central government is taking note. The Health and Infotech ministry plans to put together a dedicated IT policy in place by 2008 with stress on preventive health.
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