BPO Companies are Blamed for Spoiling the Health of Asian Youth

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,' says Dr Lim Li Ling, Deputy Director, sleep disorders unit, Singapore General Hospital.

Besides premature ageing, their overall performance would be affected due to lack of proper sleep, Ling, who is specialising in neurophysiology and was recently here 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'.

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.

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

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

Source:PTI News