- Trading home-cooked meals for unhealthy fast food on the go.
- Sacrificing on sleep for last-minute late-night presentation making.
- Giving up on exercises for early morning flights.
The life of an entrepreneur is not easy. You are already swimming against the tide by giving up a cushy mid-level job and traded it for your dream of being an entrepreneur.
In many ways, you have not listened to what many have had to say, including your parents. You want to prove them wrong and, in that quest, you are willing to make whatever sacrifices there is to make.
However, one area that suffers incredibly because of the relentless pursuit of entrepreneurs is their health. In this resource article, we speak to leading doctors and ask them about five common health issues that entrepreneurs are more likely to experience.
If you are an entrepreneur or are thinking of becoming one, make sure you stick around till the end of the article.
List of 5 Common Health Issues Entrepreneurs Face
- Heart Diseases and Illnesses-
According to leading cardiologists at Dr Gerard Leong Cardiology Clinic, on average, every third person that comes to them for heart illnesses is a business owner. Given the high levels of stress and poor lifestyle choices that entrepreneurs make, they are likelier to suffer from a heart condition than others. Heart health must be monitored at regular intervals.
- Rising Sugar Levels and Diabetes-
Another fallout of heightened levels of stress is the early onset of Diabetes. As a disease, diabetes can affect different organs and parts of your body. This includes your eyesight, kidneys, heart, as well as your hormones. You cannot reverse diabetes once you have it. You can only check and control it so that it remains within permissible limits and levels.
- Insomnia and Sleeping Disorders-
The brain of an entrepreneur is always struggling to arrive at solutions and find answers to problems. According to data, entrepreneurs are likelier to suffer from insomnia than salaried professionals. Over a period, this insomnia starts affecting other bodily functions as the body is unable to get desired levels of rest and conditioning that comes from sleep.
- Joint and Connecting Tissues Disorder-
If you are an entrepreneur that is working for 12-14 hours a day, you can bid goodbye to do anything healthy in the form of exercise. You are sitting on a chair for ten hours at a stretch. This affects the bones, muscle tissues, and connecting joints of the body. As they do not get much rest, you start experiencing pain, poor mobility, and stiffness at all times of the day.
- Poor Sexual Health-
All the anxiety and stress coupled with unhealthy eating and insomnia takes a toll on an entrepreneur’s sex life. They suffer from sexual illnesses like erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, and loss of libido. This not only affects their health but can also cause a lot of issues in their personal life as well. This is also an illness that can have a permanent impact.
What Doctors and Health Experts Recommend for Entrepreneurs?
According to doctors, entrepreneurs should try to do the following when it comes to maintaining their health.
- They should go for regular check-ups once every three months and do a complete body profile. This will help identify if any emerging health issues need to be addressed.
- Entrepreneurs must find time to exercise at least 30 minutes every day. For example, they can take a brisk walk in the morning or go for a cycling session with their kids and family members.
- Eating healthy is a primary requirement. Even if you do not have time to get home-cooked meals, you can buy fruits and include them in your diet. You can skip eating food for lunch and simply consume three to four fruits.
- Unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking must be curbed and restricted as much as possible. If you are under stress, you should try to use other strategies and means like a stress ball or running to help you get back to normalcy.
The Bottom Line
By following all the points in the article, entrepreneurs can ensure that they do not suffer from premature health conditions. Poor mental health, rising levels of heart disease sexual incompetence are clear and present dangers for entrepreneurs. If you have any other questions that you require answers to, let us know in the comments section below.