Sleepless nights, irregular eating, occupational hazards and disturbed personal life. The strenous job is taking its toll on the city cops.

According to an informal survey done by International Institute of Management Research and Applied Techniques (IMRAT), out of all the government professions, being a cop is the most taxing on one's psychological and physical health.

Out of the 3,000-odd employees working in different departments in the State and surveyed for stress-level the policemen were found to be suffering from alarming levels of mental stress, Dr Jaysingh Patil, chairman of IMRAT told The Indian Express.

The excercise conducted over last couple of years has revealed that cops are are most prone to psychosomatic health disorders including heart-attack, abnormal blood pressure, diabetes and migraine.

``One of the major yardstick for determining one's stress level is through behavioural pattern. Sleeplessness, migraine and even premature sagging of skin are visual indicators of acute stress. The police personnel show these symptoms prominently,'' said Patil.

The policemen bearing the trademark pounch are the one's who suffer from great stress. ``They never had it when commissioned into service. It comes with stress. Reeling under it, one tends to overeat and hence shows tendency to grow obese,'' explained Patil.

More the physical work, greater is the stress. Besides routine job of maintaining law and order, long hours of work during the visit of VVIPs, bandobast during religious functions and no regular day-offs, all translates into the killer stress for the cops.

``But what is more interesting is the observation that prevention of crime is more challenging and demanding than mere handling it after it has been committed,'' Patil said.

But the things are gradually changing. The men in khaki entrusted with the task of disciplining others, are now making an attempt to regain order in their own lives.

So when assistant commissioner of police (crime) P N Ingale smiled and looked relaxed in his office today, he had a reason. Ingale had just returned back to his seat after a four-hour-long stress management workshop conducted at the city police commissionerate by IMRAT.

The police commissioner and all other senior officers are regularly attending the workshop. ``They are being held as an attempt to solve the stress-related problems of the city police and thereby increase their efficiency,'' said Ingale. The results have been very positive, he added.

Taking time out of their hectic schedule, the cops are now learning lessons in keeping themselves calm and stress-free in most demanding situations. ``We are teaching them yoga, pranayam, dynamic meditation and simple techniques of relaxation which can be practised easily on duty - sitting in a chair or standing for a bandobast,'' said Patil.

He added that different courses are being devised depending upon the ranks of serving police personnel and the nature of their work.