These days, around 57 million Americans work in the "gig economy."  In addition, almost 5 million work for tips or as drivers, and nearly 15 million are paid mostly through commissions or bonuses.

While there have always been people whose pay depended on the projects they could hustle or the hours they worked, the pandemic caused the gig economy to boom. And lots of folks — from contract workers and freelancers to food deliverers and landscapers — found that they liked the flexibility and autonomy that gigging provides.

But three studies in the Journal of Applied Psychology (one of waiters, one of "by the piece" online workers, and one of people in finance, marketing, and sales) show that there's a price to pay for picking your own hours, being your own boss, and/or never being sure what your income is going to be. Your health can suffer.

Regardless of how much money a gig worker earns, having income uncertainty causes chronic stress that can trigger headaches, stomach aches, backaches, eye strain, and insomnia. That stress also is associated with less time spent exercising, eating less-healthy foods, and having unhealthy lifestyle habits. 

If you're a gig worker, you need to make a commitment to your health by scheduling daily time for exercise, adopting stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, eating a plant-based diet free of highly processed foods, and practicing good sleep habits (going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day).

If you're your own boss, set up rules for work and play — and enforce them.