How to be a Healthy Driver

Navigating the urban jungle while being in the driver’s seat an exhilarating experience. However, driving can also take a toll on your health. Press reports estimate that drivers between Dubai and Sharjah spend over twenty hours a week—over a quarter of the work week— in heavy traffic. According to estimates by the Road and Transport Authority of Dubai, delays and traffic jams cost approximately 4.6 billion dollars in fuel and wasted time. However, the bigger and inestimable effect is that on the health of drivers. Understanding how to stay healthy as a busy urban driver is essential to long-term health.

Stay Hydrated

Water is a driver’s best friend. Long hours spent behind the wheel in a seated position can cause you to cramp up and water can help you stave off exhaustion. Even within the comfort of an air-conditioned car, dehydration is a very real threat that can be remedied by the consumption of fresh fruit juices or water.

Exercise Regularly

Even fifteen minutes of exercise every day can help you be a healthier and better driver. Exercising the lower and upper back, arms, and legs build muscle strength, enabling you to make it through long-distance drives in better shape. Even a regular calisthenics routine is beneficial to making you a healthier driver.

Eat Healthy

More often than not, fast food is the only option while on the road. As a driver, you are in the best position to appreciate the effect of bad fuel on your car. Similarly, eating over-salted, greasy or sugar-filled junk food can be dangerous, especially when combined with being seated for a 4-hour drive every day. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that people who are stuck in traffic are thrice as likely to have a heart attack while in a traffic jam. Eating heart-healthy foods such as fruit, nuts, and salads significantly mitigate the risk of these long-term effects.

Relaxation Techniques

If you are stuck in a traffic jam on the way to that important meeting, it is important to prepare for such situations using relaxation techniques. Calming music and relaxing stretches, while you are stopped, loosens the muscles and can help you destress while on the road. Maintaining an ergonomic posture and practicing breathing exercises are also excellent ways to ward off the harmful effects of stress.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is a driver’s best friend—arguably, the most important factor in keeping you healthy on the road. Getting enough sleep improves your alertness, overall sense of well-being and resistance to stressors on the road. Getting a full night’s sleep can prevent aches in your back and legs and help your body combat stress.