Not Getting Adequate Sleep
Although it is tempting to drive extra miles to earn that extra buck, sleep deprivation might not give you enough juice to continue working in the long run. Hard work is synonymous with trucking, and it is not to say that this attitude is wrong, but deprivation of sleep might lead to unnecessary health issues that might become life threatening
Lack of sleep is proven to cause the following and more:
· Accidents
· Memory loss
· Reduction of cognitive processing – affecting your ability to learn, think and grow
· Increases risk of heart disease
· Increases blood pressure
· Increases the risk of a stroke
· Increases the probability of Diabetes
· Increase in depression
· Faster aging
· Accelerate weight gain
· Impairs quick judgment
Getting enough sleep will help you, not only to work harder, but also to work smarter. It is a common belief that a person should receive at least 8 hours of sleep, but there are many who can push themselves to work with 6 hours of sleep a day. The best thing is to know yourself and understand what works for you, but make sure that you receive uninterrupted sleep for this period. Staying hydrated and exercising regularly will help you gain quality sleep.
Not Eating healthy
It is important to take care of your diet, being in this stressful job. It is tempting to satisfy yourself with a Big Mac after a long 11 hour drive. But do this for 1 week straight and you will notice how fast your energy drops, weight increases and focus decreases.
Eating healthy will not only save you from obesity, it will also help you sleep well and look younger. What you fuel yourself with inevitably contributes to the effectiveness of your personality; so think twice before you eat your next meal.
Not exercising the mind
Driving long hours is not stimulating for your mind. Gazing at the periodic road signs and vehicles can take you to thinking about random incidents that can distract you and take you into an emotional tantrum. In most cases this tantrum leads to rage, which can distract you from making rational decisions at times.
Not occupying your mind for long periods of time increases many other risks such as
· Reducing your ability to think and process
· Increase depression
· Lack of individual growth, leading to feeling social pressure and inferiority
· Lack of motivation and individual drive
All these risks can indirectly affect a person’s health and safety.
You can avoid this by doing one of the following
- Listen to Audio books – Those long hours can be used to learn something new. Exercise your mind and get motivated to do better in life. You’ll be well read and an individual with character within a few days. According to statistics, if you read 1 book per day, on one subject, for four years, it is equivalent to getting a PhD.
- Language tapes – Getting fluent in another language pushes your brain tremendously. Have you ever wanted to learn French, Spanish or German? 20 hours of listening will make you fluent enough to have a decent conversation in that language.