I’ve read articles on people who died after long work stretches without sleep or this gamer who went without sleep for 3 days and died in an internet cafe in Korea. I’m wondering if most of these cases are due mainly to the person already having some underlying health issues or a healthy person can literally die from overwork?
Since I have a real shitty sleep schedule (I’ll go without sleep for two days and then sleep for a whole day), I wanted to be sure I’m not pushing it health wise.
You just answered your own question in the first sentence.
I've gamed for about 90 hours straight in one stretch, and worked for 45-50 hours at a time. Some people will, some people won't. Looking back, both scenarios are incredibly stupid and unproductive.
Your body needs time to recover. That gamer who died in Korea and others who die after long stretches without sleep probably had been doing it as a habit. So, the first time you go three days without sleep you might not die but if you make it a consistent habit to go without sleep for days, it will wear your body down, especially your heart, and you will likely die.
Plus, if you're doing anything intellectually demanding, you will need a mind that's fresh and rested, or else you won't get much work done. When I go without much sleep I can definitely tell the difference, in terms of my cognitive abilities; I'll spend 3 hours doing what would normally take me 40 minutes to do. It's not productive and it's not healthy, so don't do it. Just get your 8 hours of sleep every night and work the rest of the time if you want.
You can die from starvation.
Absolutely yes. My aunt died at 45 from a heart attack which was directly related to her stress level/life style as a CEO at a large corporation. She was 100% work and worry all the time. All her effort brought her wealth and power, but cut her life in half.
Yes, death is a possibility. And remember the saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." It tends to make him an asshole, too.