When people claim to be a professional blogger, that job sounds easy to someone not in the industry. Working in your pajamas with a lot of job flexibility? Getting paid thousands per month? Sounds like a dream job.

Not so fast. According to a story in the New York Times, bloggers around the world are suffering health problems at an alarming rate. Two prominent bloggers, Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant, recently died. Shaw, who was 60-years-old old, and Orchant, who was 50-years-old, both died of heart related conditions, perhaps from burning themselves out at work.

While there isn’t enough date to conclusively state that blogging is deadly, there are reasons why these deaths might not be a coincidence. Successful bloggers have to be aware of current events virtually 24-hours a day. If they miss one event or one email, that can be the difference between a huge success and a massive failure. Working long hours with a lot of pressure to succeed could cause a lot of stress, which could then cause health problems.

Since bloggers always have to be in the loop, bloggers find that it’s difficult to take any personal time. A vacation in the blogging world is virtually impossible. Even setting time aside for exercise or eating right is difficult for a lot of bloggers.

If you are considering blogging for a living, make sure you have the right temperament for the job. If you can get stressed out easily or you can’t handle working long hours, blogging isn’t for you. When all is said and done, your health isn’t worth it – even for a dream job.