Commuters 'suffer extreme stress'
November 30, 2004
Commuters can experience greater stress than fighter pilots going into battle or riot policemen, a new study says.
Stress expert Dr David Lewis compared the heart rate and blood pressure of 125 commuters with those of pilots and police officers in training exercises.
The study, part-funded by technology firm Hewlett Packard, found the stress levels of commuters were higher in extreme circumstances.
Workers' stress is exacerbated by their inability to control their situation.
Dr Lewis, a fellow of the International Stress Management Association, said: "The difference is that a riot policeman or a combat pilot have things they can do to combat the stress that is being triggered by the event.
"But the commuter, particularly on a train, cannot do anything about it at all. So it is this sense of helplessness combined with the stress that is perhaps the most worrying aspect of it."
Dr Lewis, who measured the stress levels of the commuters for five years, has identified a syndrome he calls "commuter amnesia", where people forget large parts of their journey because of stress.
"The survey suggests an average commute is between 45-60 minutes," he said.
"That is at least a working day a week that you are losing completely out of your life.
"Switching off the mind, turning people into zombies for 90 minutes, seems to me a quite appalling waste of talent."
Dr Lewis said commuting makes people feel "frustrated, anxious and despondent".
But it was not known if commuters risked damaging their health in the long term.
"It's a bit extreme to say people are actually damaging themselves - we don't know that," he said. "But they are certainly not benefiting from it.
"At best it's a dismal experience; at worst it may well have health consequences.
"How much harm it is doing would depend on how robust your physical system is anyhow and how high your blood pressure goes.
"We have measured a systolic pressure [the force blood exerts on the artery walls when the heart beats] in the region of 170-180 in some people.
'Nightmare'
"These have been occasions when the person we've been monitoring has lost their temper and had a serious row. And under those circumstances you can have a heart attack."
A wider study of 800 UK commuters, also involving Dr Lucas, found they regard their journey to work as an "ordeal". Some describe it as a "nightmare".
Workers can avoid the stress of commuting by seeking flexible working alternatives, Dr Lucas said.
These include travelling to work outside peak hours or working from home.
A brisk walk between the end of the journey and arriving at the office would "burn up a lot of the hormones released and build up the cardiovascular system," he added.
This article first appeared on the BBC News site.
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