After another successful annual Cycle to Work Day, figures have been released that suggest cycling the commute is a great stress buster.
Obviously healthy for the body, it would appear that cycling to and from work is healthy for the mind. A poll carried out for Cyclescheme of more than a 1,000 people found that those who cycled were more likely to be able to sleep well and switch off from work worry throughout the evening and night.
36 per cent of those questioned said that they have struggled to sleep because of work stress. 38 per cent said that stress had made them feel sick, and 35 per cent had cancelled social events because they felt too stressed.
But a pattern was found in which those who cycled to work were better off and less likely to be affected by stress in one of these ways.
In today’s society, we can find it hard to switch off and stop worrying about work. One of the major contributors to this is a lack of education about stress management, but also because of the way technology has been incorporated into every aspect of our lives and keep us constantly connected. However, cycling may be helping people to switch off when they get home.
It is unknown why this could be, whether it has something to do with the physical fitness that comes with cycling, or whether cycling has some form of meditative qualities.
Presenter Denise van Outen who is involved in the Cycle to Work Day, said “It’s incredible how much healthier, happier, and fulfilled I have been since taking up cycling.”
