Being a delivery driver has several perks and benefits, from the feelings of freedom, privacy and self-determinism, to perks like great pay, flexible shifts, and the ability to work extra hours for more money. Yet, this is a job that comes with several health problems. They are not specifically risks because you can avoid most of them with a balanced lifestyle and a careful work ethic. Nevertheless, here are a few of the most common health problems that long-time delivery drivers experience.
Obesity and Being Out of Shape
The notion of the bullishly strong delivery driver is fine for younger or newer drivers, but the fact is that delivery driving takes its toll on the human body. Not only are you stationary for most of the day, but the nature of your job encourages you to eat snacks and junk food. Many drivers also take stimulants such as energy drinks, which are loaded with calories. This is not to say that drivers are any more unhealthy than a programmer or online writer, but delivery drivers have fewer opportunities for healthy activity.</p>
Chronic Tiredness And Its Side Effects
Being tired is a common complaint for most delivery drivers. This is because you have to be aware and alert at all times when you are driving, and it can quickly sap your energy. After a while, a driver becomes accustomed and adapted to always being tired, which is bad enough on its own, but this condition comes with several side effects. These include a low mood, a negative outlook, being quick to anger, general fatigue, a lack of concentration, increased stress levels and a lowered immune system. These lead to a host of problems that include a higher susceptibility to illness, insomnia, and even mental breakdowns in some very serious cases of stress.
Back Injuries and Wrist Injuries
Though these may happen due to sudden braking, crashes, etc., they are more common during the delivery phase themselves. Back and wrist injuries happen when the load is being moved. Perhaps the other person drops their end and it sprains the driver’s wrist or causes a back injury. Other times, these injuries occur slowly over time as the driver handles loads that are a little too heavy or awkward to carry.
Repetitive Strain Injuries
These sorts of injuries are far less common these days thanks to things like better-designed chairs and power steering yet, back and wrist injuries are still a common occurrence. On the one hand, being sat in the same position for months after months and years after years is going to have a negative effect on the back if the driver doesn’t have a regular exercise regimen. As for wrist and hand injuries, there are several possible causes such as being sat too close to the wheel, being overly aggressive when steering, and so forth.
Depression and Low Mood Afflictions
Writers and delivery drivers suffer from very similar mental ailments because both jobs are often very solitary jobs. There is also a certain degree of repetitiveness about some delivery jobs that cause low moods and depression. However, the most common cause is that drivers are alone for large portions of the week, and it takes a toll on their mental health.
Hypertension
This is also known as high blood pressure, and it has several causes. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are common causes, but so are things like smoking, sugary drinks, and energy drinks will also cause high blood pressure. Plus, if a driver is of a volatile temperament, then incidents of road rage will also increase stress levels and blood pressure levels.
Dehydration and Kidney Stones
One of the most common reasons for dehydration in drivers is due to them purposefully not drinking fluid in order to avoid bathroom breaks. This is done for several reasons. Drivers may not want to stop, or they may drive fairly random routes where they are unsure if there is a place to stop. Drivers of larger vehicles like lorries may have a hard time getting to a stopping point in time, and no driver likes the feeling of needing to urinate and having to hold it (especially during traffic jams). As a result, many drivers will purposefully avoid drinking fluids unless completely necessary, which leads to dehydration. A common side effect of dehydration is the formation of kidney stones, along with higher chances of headaches and migraines.
Poor Circulation
This is another side effect of sitting in the same position for hours and hours. If you do not undertake a fairly good exercise regimen outside of work, then problems like poor circulation can creep up on drivers who have been doing the job for years. What is worse is that poor air quality can make the problem worse, and poor circulation will also increase a driver’s risks of deep vein thrombosis whenever the driver takes their next plane trip.
What About Other Common Health Concerns?
If you go online, you will see a lot of talk and statistics about delivery drivers having lung cancer, heart problems, diabetes and so forth. However, these are not directly linked to being a delivery driver. These are often the result of the lifestyle choices made by delivery drivers. Things like smoking, eating junk food, and such, are the biggest causes of health problems with the heart, diabetes, lungs, etc. These are lifestyle choices that are perhaps prompted by overwork and depression, but again, these are not directly linked to being a delivery driver. There are plenty of drivers who are not depressed, not overworked, don’t smoke, and lead a healthy and balanced diet. The eight health issues mentioned in this article are directly linked to being a delivery driver. Any further issues are the result of a driver’s life choices, genetics, or bad luck.