Life
The tragedy of Indian business tycoon
Ranjan Das
R
anjan Das was the CEO of SAP, climbing the corporate ladder quickly to be considered one of the best young businesses tycoons in India. But he recently died aged just 42, despite the fact that he cared for his body and was a regular visitor to the gym, had a personal trainer, and was a marathon runner. He competed in the Chennai marathon every year. On 21st October Devali went to the gym as usual. On returning home, he shouted in pain while holding his chest, then fell down and died. People questioned how could such a sports loving young man like Ranjan Das suddenly die. Was it his marathon running that caused his death? People came up with many theories and assumptions. It was evident that he absorbed a great of stress at work. But stress is common for all of us. A cardiologist in India who investigated his cause of death determined that it was simply due
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Gulf Insider March 2016
to his lack of sleep. Importantly, doctors found that Ranjan Das only slept 4 – 5 hours a day.
helping cancer cells to grow.
Some Key points about sleep according to experts
Sleeping less than 5 -6 hours can cause irregular blood pressure, and those aged between 25-49 may face severe high blood pressure if they sleep less than 7 hours Risk of heart attack can be 3 times higher for those who sleep less than 5 hours, while sleeping less than 6 hours can increase the risk of heart attacks by 18%, causing high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hscRP) levels to increase (hs-cRP is a pre indicative tool of a heart attack). Lack of sleep can imbalance our bodily chemicals such as tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). These can work as toxins within our body
Sleep is categorized in to two types, REM (Rapid Eye Movement ) & nonREM. REM helps the brain and mind while non-REM repairs the body. You experience the both when you have a good night’s sleep. Those involved in intensive physical exercise (such a marathon runners) require more sleep for the physical recovery process.
Here’s what experts claim happened to Ranjan Das. He was very careful about his food. Exercising was a regular part of life. His body was in great shape. BUT, he forgot one very critical thing. By only sleeping 4-5 hours each day he increased the risk of a heart attack. What happened to Ranjan Das could happen to any of us. If we are to be fully responsible for our business and for our family, we must first live a healthy life.