Study finds commuting can make Brits nuts

LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A new study has found something British commuters already know, that their daily trips can be extremely stressful, the BBC reports.

Stress expert Dr. David Lewis found commuting can cause even greater stress than that experienced by fighter pilots and police officers. He compared the heart rate and blood pressure of 125 commuters with those in the other groups during training.

"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," said Lewis, a fellow of the International Stress Management Association in the United Kingdom. "But the commuter, particularly on a train, cannot do anything about it at all."

After measuring stress levels in commuters for five years, Lewis identified a syndrome he calls "commuter amnesia," in which people forget large parts of their 45- to 60-minute journeys because of stress.

"Switching off the mind, turning people into zombies for 90 minutes, seems to me a quite appalling waste of talent," Lewis said. He said commuting can make people feel "frustrated, anxious and despondent."