Startup founder slams ‘hustle culture’ after ending up in hospital

In today’s fast-paced work environment, the idea putting in endless effort and making sacrifices to achieve success has become increasingly popular. However, there is a hidden downside to this intense lifestyle that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late.

A young startup founder recently took to social media to share a cautionary tale about the dangers of hustle culture. Kritarth Mittal, the founder of the Soshals app, revealed that his relentless overworking, poor lifestyle choices, and lack of sleep led to his hospitalisation.
In his post, Mittal urged others to prioritise their health, shedding light on the often-overlooked negative aspects of the hustle mentality.

Taking to X, he wrote, “Hustle culture comes with a cost — some you incur right away and some over decades. Choice is yours, I’m just here to show you the ugly side of it so you don’t get swayed easy. This is me after pulling all-nighters, sleeping for <5-6 hours, and no diet plan.”
He mentioned that working 12 hours a day isn’t necessarily harmful if balanced with regular exercise, a good diet, and sufficient sleep. However, he admitted that he struggled to maintain a healthy routine, leading to issues like constant body pain and dark circles.

He commented on his post, saying, “I don’t think 12 hours of work is too bad if you’re able to compensate it with a regular work-out and a good diet (I hope 8 hours of sleep is also included in this routine). I have struggled to maintain a healthy routine, diet or sleep cycle. Hence, constant body pain, dark circles, etc. If you’re not observing all these symptoms, you’re good.”
User on X commented on his post and also gave him suggestions on how to improve health.
 
One user wrote, “You should never pull all nighters. Sleeping for atleast 7-8 hours a day and not drinking or smoking has made me sustain this long. The code that we write during the allnighters can be always written in the morning after a nice sleep. This is the strategy I use.”
Another added, “All bodies are not equal. You need to understand the signals your body is giving and take it slowly. I had to go through the same. I stopped responding to the after 10 PM and early morning phone calls.”
Some other user wrote, “The key is to build habits slowly and keep it sustainable.”
One user commented, “Wealth comes next to health, anyday!”