Truck Drivers and Poor Health
Hello, my name is Jaideep Singh and I’m a first-year student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. This is my second semester with BPSHI and my first semester as an intern for the clinic committee. After attending a few clinics, I’ve noticed the poor health of young Punjabi truck drivers. We as a community must bring awareness to the declining health of our community’s young adults.
Some core issues we can address are sleep, nutrition, and exercise:
Sleep: Lack of sleep has been linked to a decrease in our immune response. And as a truck driver, sleep is essential for both your safety and your health. A long-term lack of sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues. Staying well-rested also goes a long way in keeping you alert, not only for hazards on the road but off the road too.
Nutrition: You can eat a healthy diet and be more active. Some food good choices are raw veggies, fresh fruit, dried fruit, high-fiber granola bars, and low-fat or light yogurt. A serving of almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or pecans is healthy as well. We have to keep in mind that roti stays good for up to 2-3 days, and for drivers that are out for a week at a time, that is not a healthy choice.
Exercise: Exercise is very important to implement, especially if your job requires you to remain sedentary. After stopping for gas or loads, walk around the outside of the parking lot. Even a 15-minute walk will help stretch your legs, burn some calories, and combat fatigue. Some other exercises that can be implemented easily are jump rope and resistance training via resistance bands. Even doing short workouts every day prolongs healthy life expectancy and quality of life.
Many immigrants from Punjab have responsibilities to their families back home and feel obligated to work as much as they can to support their families, and rightfully so. However, truckers have to also prioritize their future health and improve their quality of life so that they can be an important part of their families' lives for many years to come.
