Dr. David: Commuting Can Be Bad For Your Health
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: July 8, 2011
Driving to and from work, this is how many of us spend a significant part of our day.
Commuters have long understood the sacrifices they're making with their time, but we're now beginning to understand the sacrifices made to our health.
The average commute one way is now about 24 minutes, but over three and a half million of us are extreme commuters, or people who shuttle at least 45 minutes each way every day.
A recent university study has shed new light on just how much of a toll all that driving is taking on us.
One in three of those extreme commuters develop recurring neck and back problems, but what's more is that the research shows every minute we spend doing this the less we exercise and the less we sleep, according to Dr. David.
"We also have less time to prepare meals, which means that commuters are much more likely to eat poorly and eat fast foods. There is a strong correlation between commuting and obesity," Dr. David said.
Our mental health is affected too.
The study shows people who commute longer are generally less happy.
They have more stress than those who live closer to work, and all that time behind the wheel promotes feelings of loneliness.
It's making us sacrifice important social connections that make us more fulfilled.
In fact those extreme commuters are 40% more likely to get a divorce.
Most commuters will tell you they're sick of the daily grind through traffic, we can now say the evidence shows they're getting sick because of it.
Commuters have long understood the sacrifices they're making with their time, but we're now beginning to understand the sacrifices made to our health.
The average commute one way is now about 24 minutes, but over three and a half million of us are extreme commuters, or people who shuttle at least 45 minutes each way every day.
A recent university study has shed new light on just how much of a toll all that driving is taking on us.
One in three of those extreme commuters develop recurring neck and back problems, but what's more is that the research shows every minute we spend doing this the less we exercise and the less we sleep, according to Dr. David.
"We also have less time to prepare meals, which means that commuters are much more likely to eat poorly and eat fast foods. There is a strong correlation between commuting and obesity," Dr. David said.
Our mental health is affected too.
The study shows people who commute longer are generally less happy.
They have more stress than those who live closer to work, and all that time behind the wheel promotes feelings of loneliness.
It's making us sacrifice important social connections that make us more fulfilled.
In fact those extreme commuters are 40% more likely to get a divorce.
Most commuters will tell you they're sick of the daily grind through traffic, we can now say the evidence shows they're getting sick because of it.
