Over the course of a lifetime, the average Brit will spend a year and a half sitting in a doctors surgery waiting for their appointment, according to a new report.
The research, led by health insurer Health-on-Line, has predicted the average Briton’s ‘health life story’, tracking the details of every ailment, illness and injury they will sustain over a lifetime.
During a lifetime, Brits suffer from 173 tummy upsets, 152 migraines, 210 cases of back pain and 106 spot breakouts. All these illnesses will take its toll on their health, as they will take 43 days off sick recovering from stress-related illnesses.
The study also discovered that Brits are constantly battling coughs and colds, suffering from 133 cases of the sniffles in their lifetime.
According to the research, the average person in Britain will spend 13.713 hours waiting for a doctor’s appointment and 46 hours in a GP’s waiting room during their lifetime.
Brits will also have three accidents requiring medical treatment and will wait 81 minutes to be attended to in A&E - but that’s after spending 19 ½ hours debating whether to go to hospital in the first place.
But once the appointments have been made and doctor’s treatment has been done, Brits then have to wait a further 13 weeks to get diagnostic test results back from the hospital.
Researchers added that British people add to their health woes by guzzling an average 5,800 pints in a lifetime and 8,700 glasses of wine.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom – Brits can expect to live three year longer than in 1994, with the British life expectancy now being 80 years old compared to 77.
"No-one has ever compiled such a comprehensive prediction of the frequency of our illnesses over a lifetime and – crucially – how long we wait to receive treatment for them," says a spokesperson from the study.
“If there’s one key message this report has for all the average Brits out there, it’s this: your own health life story isn’t written yet.
"Everyone’s health life story is different, but this report provides a fascinating prompt to think about which areas of our personal health and lifestyle most need attention. By putting proactive safeguards in place to look after those health issues that most affect us, we can make a real difference to our long-term well being."
