What Narayana Murthy’s 72-Hour Week Demand Means for Stress, Sleep & Heart Health

Narayana Murthy’s recent call for a 72-hour work week has ignited one of the loudest conversations India has seen around productivity, ambition, and what it really costs to keep going at full speed. While

his statement triggered debates on economy, culture, and competitiveness, one angle has gone strangely quiet in the noise; the human body. Because no matter how inspired or determined we are, biology has its own limits, and it doesn’t negotiate.At its core, a 72-hour work week means averaging more than 10 hours of work every single day, with minimal breaks and little room for recovery. The first system that reacts to this is the stress response. Long, intense work hours push cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, into a constant “on” mode. This isn’t the productive kind of stress that helps you meet a deadline; it’s the chronic kind that keeps your body inflamed, your mood unstable, and your energy constantly on edge. Over time, sustained cortisol elevation is linked to anxiety, irritability, weakened immunity, and a higher risk of chronic lifestyle diseases.

Then comes sleep, the one essential pillar that becomes the easiest to sacrifice when work expands to fill every corner of the day. To make a 72-hour week realistic, most people would need to cut down on rest, often without realizing how deeply sleep deprivation impairs cognitive function. Even one hour less sleep per night reduces focus, decision-making, and emotional stability. Multiple nights of reduced sleep compound into what researchers call “sleep debt,” which the brain struggles to repay. The result? Slower reaction times, poor impulse control, and a significant drop in productivity, the very thing a longer work week aims to boost.But the heaviest impact may fall on the heart. Studies have repeatedly shown that people who work more than 55 hours a week face a higher risk of hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular events. Long hours tighten blood vessels, alter heart rhythms, and create unhealthy patterns of sitting, eating, and coping. Combine that with chronic stress and inadequate sleep, and the heart is forced to operate in crisis mode for most of the week.

None of this means ambition is unhealthy or that hard work should be avoided. But the body is not built for perpetual grind. Recovery is not a luxury; it’s a biological requirement. As the discussion around Narayana Murthy’s comment continues, the nation may need to rethink what real productivity means. Because without a healthy brain, balanced hormones, and a supported heart, no number of hours can translate to meaningful output.