Did you know the toxic work culture, the need to be on the hustle constantly may lead to memory loss or Alzheimer's? Here is the connection you need to know. Published: September 25, 2024 9:01 AM IST By Alzheimer disease is the gradual decline of brain health that leads to impaired memory and cognition. It is the degeneration of brain cells that leads to poor mental functioning and brain cells eventually may die.
While this is common in elderly, the contemporary lifestyle can you put at risk too. In India alone, an estimated 5 million people are currently living with dementia, with Alzheimer’s accounting for 60- 70 per cent of these cases. In today’s fast paced world, it is all about the hustle and bustle.
Everyone seems to be on the clock all the time. This leads to increase in stress, anxiety, fear of failure, and high expectations, particularly at the workplace. This is often tagged as the ‘hustle culture’.
And this combined with no exercise and poor diet can act as a perfect mix to lead to Alzheimer’s disease. How extreme stress, office pressure can risk Alzheimer? Experts weight in how this work culture, poor stress management can risk you health at multiple levels. “Continuous stress, anxiety, fear of failing the targets and expectations has compelled people to detrimentally increase the number of working hours, cutting down on sleep and take up a lifestyle with minimal physical activity and unhealthy eating habits.
All these factors contribute to increased deposition of abnormal proteins and degradation of the brain,” Dr Ishu Goyal, Deputy Consultant Neurologist, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital told IANS. While these abnormal proteins are scavenged from the brain during sleep, facilitated by antioxidants obtained through a balanced diet, the hustle culture seldom allows for proper sleep and nutrition. “People who are predisposed to develop dementia due to genetic mutations may face cognitive issues early in their life if they conform to this hustle culture, giving less emphasis on their physical and mental health,” Goyal said.
It is advised to take regular breaks between work, relaxation therapies, proper diet, and sleep along with frequent rejuvenating therapies to help maintain proper biochemical balance in the brain to avoid precipitation of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Praveen Gupta, Principal Director and Chief of Neurology at Fortis Hospital said: “Alzheimer’s is not just about memory loss.
Alzheimer’s is a comprehensive deterioration of brain function, affecting thinking, reasoning, behaviour, and emotions. It is a progressive disease and irreversible too,” Gupta told IANS. Proactive measures to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is the need of the hour.
Dr Hema Krishna P, Consultant – Neurology and Movement Disorders, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore advised regular exercise, maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet, and participating in cognitive activities that stimulate the brain. Managing your cardiovascular health by controlling blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and diabetes can significantly help prevent the onset of this neurodegenerative condition, she told IANS. A healthy lifestyle is the key to everything.
A proper diet, exercise routine, sleep cycle can help to manage stress better. And this will have a healthy domino effect not just on brain health but overall physical and mental health too. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and .
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