Are Doctors suffering in the health department?
Doctors are exercising less, sleeping less and have the worst eating habits of almost any other profession, according to new research.
Whilst they may be advising us on leading a healthy lifestyle, they may in fact be struggling with one of their own.
PureGym asked 2000 people employed in a wide range of professions about their lifestyle choices during an average working week.
Doctors scored consistently badly when asked about their eating, exercising and sleeping habits. The poll revealed that doctors are one of the most likely groups to do no exercise at all, with almost a quarter admitting to doing no form of regular workout. They are also the profession surviving on the least amount of sleep, catching on average just five hours of shut eye in a 24 hour period, and the profession most likely to get through the day without a single sit down meal.
Taxi drivers are also prone to making unhealthy lifestyle choices according to the survey. The survey found that, along with public transport drivers and lorry drivers, they were the least likely to do any form of regular exercise. Taxi drivers also admitted to skipping meals and snacking on the go regularly.
In contrast, fire fighters lead the most healthy lifestyles according to the poll. They were the profession most likely to exercise regularly, with 76% working out at least twice a week. They were also the most likely to schedule proper meal times, with most having three sit down meals a day, and, despite the 24/7 nature of the job, were managing to get on average six hours of sleep a night.
PureGym spokesperson Paul Kirwin says: “It is clear from the results of our survey that your choice of profession can have an impact on your lifestyle choices. We were surprised to learn that doctors typically live the unhealthiest lifestyles, but when you consider the hours they work and the stress that must come with the job, you can understand why perhaps they let their own health take less of a priority than the health of the patients they care for.”