The open road can be glorious. Exploring the country and getting paid for the trip is a dream for many Americans. The challenge is that the sedentary lifestyle that comes with trucking poses serious risks to your overall physical health. Taking a proactive approach to wellness is the only way to minimize them.
The facts are sobering. Truck drivers are roughly twice as likely to experience obesity compared to other workers in the United States. That means a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Our Wellness in Trucking series explores these issues to help you take control before chronic conditions take you off the road. Here's what you need to know about high cholesterol - and how to get your numbers down to a healthy level.
Note: The information is for general information only and not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation and for any questions.
Cholesterol: The Inside Story
Despite its reputation, cholesterol is not a bad thing. Your liver produces it naturally, and it's critical for building cells, vitamins, and hormones. If you could touch it, it would feel a bit waxy, and it flows through your arteries along with your blood.
You have probably noticed that there are three numbers when you get your cholesterol checked: HDL, LDL, and VLDL. All three count as cholesterol, and they all fall under lipoproteins. However, they have different functions and different effects on your body.
HDL is an acronym for high-density lipoprotein. When your HDL levels are high, that's good news. HDL collects excess cholesterol from around the body and returns it to the liver. Then, your liver filters it out as waste, bringing your bad cholesterol down.
LDL references low-density lipoprotein. This is the bad guy that causes plaque buildup in your arteries. When we are talk about high cholesterol, the concern is LDL levels, not HDL levels.
Finally, there is VLDL, which refers to very-low-density lipoprotein. This one carries triglycerides, which are also bad news. High LDL and VLDL levels put you at risk for serious health conditions that, if not controlled, can lead to premature death.
Cholesterol: Getting the Numbers Right
So, what should your numbers look like for optimal health? These ranges determine whether a change in lifestyle or other treatment is necessary.
HDL - In this case, higher is better.
- Men (20 years old or older) - Above 40 mg/dl
- Women (20 years old or older) - Above 50 mg/dl
LDL - This is where lower is always better.
- Excellent - Below 100 mg/dl
- Good - 100 to 129 mg/dl
- Borderline - 130 to 159 mg/dl
- High - 160 to 189 mg/dl
- Very High - 190 mg/dl and up
VLDL - Keeping your triglycerides down is a good thing, so the goal is low with VLDL.
- Good - Below 150 mg/dl
- Borderline - 150 to 199 mg/dl
- High - 200 to 499 mg/dl
- Very High - 500 mg/dL and up
Your regular physical checks all three types of cholesterol. If your numbers are high, be sure to measure your cholesterol more frequently to know if your lifestyle changes are working.
In addition to getting standard blood work through your physician, most walk-in clinics can do a quick cholesterol check with a small fingertip stick. Results are available in a few minutes.
The Risks of High Cholesterol
Most people make enough cholesterol naturally, so any extra from foods in the meat and dairy family causes cholesterol levels to go up. That's where the trouble starts. When you have too much LDL and VLDL cholesterol moving through your bloodstream, it combines with other substances to create a sticky plaque that collects on the walls of your arteries. The arterial plaque hardens in a similar way to plaque on your teeth if not removed.
Over time, the plaque buildup in your arteries makes the passage so narrow that blood cannot pass through easily. This is called atherosclerosis, and it leads to coronary artery disease. That's a condition when your arteries are painfully narrow, or worse - completely blocked.
Coronary artery disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. The narrowing or blocking of arteries makes it impossible for your heart to get enough blood and oxygen. That, in turn, causes chest pain, and if a clot completely stops blood to the heart, a heart attack will follow.
Heart attacks can be fatal, and even if not, they can cause irreversible damage to the heart muscle. However, it's important to know that coronary artery disease can create other chronic and acute issues even if you avoid this worst-case scenario.
This disease weakens the heart muscle over time. If it is not corrected, the heart may eventually fail. Heart failure means your heart isn't strong enough to pump the right amount of blood to the rest of your body, which causes all sorts of issues. You may also experience arrhythmias, which are irregular heartbeats. Heart attack or heart failure behind the wheel is exceptionally dangerous.
The Impact of High Cholesterol on Your DOT Physical
Passing your DOT physical is required to obtain and maintain your CDL, and with good reason. Your safety and everyone else's on the road rely on your ability to manage the physical and emotional stress of the trucking lifestyle. Essentially, medical examiners are looking for any condition that might cause you to lose consciousness, prevent hearing or seeing, or otherwise physically limit your ability to drive safely.
If your cholesterol is high, don't worry. Those numbers are rarely enough to disqualify you. The issue is when your high cholesterol leads to heart disease. Part of your DOT physical focuses on your heart, and you may run into trouble if you have chest pain or reduced blood flow through your arteries or you are at high risk of a blood clot.
A recent heart attack is also a cause for concern. If you experience these conditions, you may be required to resolve - or at least manage them - to pass your physical.
Preventing and Managing High Cholesterol
You can make plenty of lifestyle changes to keep your LDL/VLDL down and your HDL up. Prevention is the best way to ensure you don’t experience heart disease that could ultimately take you off the road. If you already have high cholesterol, it's not too late to repair some or most of the damage.
Limit Saturated Fat
The fat you consume from animal products (e.g., meat and dairy foods) contributes to cholesterol. Because your liver makes all the cholesterol you need, anything extra from your diet may cause LDL/VLDL to go up. That doesn’t mean you have to take up a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle if that's not your thing, but it is wise to exchange some meat and dairy products for lower-fat alternatives.
Lean cuts of beef and pork or chicken without the skin tend to be lower in cholesterol. Stay away from full-fat dairy options, ground beef, and processed meats for best results. You may wish to consider cooking in your cab rather than a daily dose of high-salt, high-fat fast food. You should also be aware that baked goods can contain coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, all of which are associated with increased LDL/VLDL levels.
Get a Full Night's Sleep
There are dozens of reasons why skimping on sleep is unhealthy, but the impact of sleep on cholesterol often gets overlooked. Getting less than six hours of sleep can push your LDL levels up, and if you snore, you are likely to have low HDL levels. The increase in LDL appears to be caused by a sleep deficit, while the connection between snoring and low HDL is just an interesting correlation. Nonetheless, this is another reason to prioritize your rest.
Stop Smoking
If you need another reason to put those cigarettes down for good, high cholesterol goes to the top of the list. Smoking lowers HDL, increases LDL, and has a dismal effect on VLDL. More importantly, it causes other heart-related damage that can combine with high cholesterol to bring problems on faster.
Sometimes, that means you will be younger when you experience heart disease. Other times, it means you will experience a sudden, catastrophic event like a massive heart attack before you have a chance to seek life-saving treatment.
High Cholesterol: The Bottom Line
Keeping cholesterol under control means paying close attention to what you eat, how much you move, and whether or not you are sleeping well. Often, that’s enough to ensure a healthy heart. If your cholesterol still creeps up despite your best efforts, your physician will have other suggestions to improve your overall wellness. Don't let heart disease take you away from the adventure of the open road.
Other relevant articles:
Wellness in Trucking: An Overview
Why High Blood Pressure Can Take You Off the Road
Cooking in Your Cab: Part 1 - Making Healthy Eating Quick, Tasty, and Affordable