Exercise, Stress, Sleep, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout Among Indian Doctors: A Nationwide Occupational Health Study of 4,400 Physicians.

Abstract

Context: Physician burnout is an occupational hazard driven by workload, fatigue, and poor recovery. Exercise and sleep enhance resilience, yet Indian data integrating behavioral and workplace factors are scarce.

Aims: To examine how exercise, workload, stress, sleep quality, and job satisfaction interact to predict burnout among Indian doctors.

Settings and design: Nationwide cross-sectional, web-based survey conducted from January to June 2025.

Methods and materials: Four thousand and four hundred doctors (880 each from orthopedics, general surgery, anesthesiology, psychiatry, and internal medicine) were surveyed with equal gender and public-private distribution. A validated 24-item questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.86) assessed exercise, stress, sleep quality, job satisfaction, and burnout.

Statistical analysis used: SPSS 27.0; Chi-square, ANOVA, Pearson r, and multivariate regression (VIF <2).

Results: Regular exercise was reported by 78.2%. Orthopedic surgeons were most active (90%), psychiatrists least (68%). Burnout correlated positively with stress (r = 0.61) and workload (r = 0.29), and negatively with exercise (r = -0.36), sleep (r = -0.43), and satisfaction (r = -0.48). Moderate exercise (30-60 min/day) provided optimal sleep improvement and burnout reduction, with diminishing gains beyond 60 min. Job satisfaction buffered 38% of the exercise's effect on burnout.

Conclusions: Exercise, sleep, and satisfaction independently protect against burnout, while excessive work and stress increase vulnerability. Balanced lifestyle and institutional wellness policies may improve occupational health and sustainability.