According to a report in USA Today, the average American spends 25.5 minutes commuting to work each way. That's about 51 minutes spent each day, getting to and from work, which adds up to 204 hours a year.

According to a 2008 report, those numbers are substantially higher in India, with the average Indian commuting 1.5 hours everyday. This adds up to 432 hours per year. This means that you actually spend 18 days on the road each year! And that is just work commute. I know my travel time has increased by more than double since 2008.

You know that commuting can literally be a huge pain in the back, but what does all that back and forth actually do to your body, apart from putting you in an awful mood when you get stuck in traffic for what feels like the nine-thousandth night in a row? Groundhog day yeah!

According to Public Health Department, commuting has been identified as one of the main causes of daily stress with lengthy journeys being associated with poor sleep quality, exhaustion and bad health. Along with the inflation in the country, your vital signs are also on the rise, and your body indicates this through an increase in cholesterol and blood pressure and a decrease in sleep and general fitness. Additionally, commuting takes its toll on relationships, with a higher likelihood of separation among commuters that regularly face a long journey to work.

Another survey was conducted to find out how key executives would spend their time if they were able to cut down on their commute and work more flexibly. The respondents’ choices varied from spending more time with their partner and family, to spending more time working and being more productive. 54 per cent said that they would choose to work. Japanese and Canadian workers wanted to get fitter and exercise more, while Indian and French workers chose to spend this additional time with their partners and family.

Indian workers were apt and most diligent, with only 40 per cent opting to spend the extra time in bed, and 72 per cent preferring to spend the extra time at their desks.

Only you can choose what to do with the time you’d save if you did not have tospend hours commuting to work. Get healthier, sleep more or try and spend additional time with your families or work more productively closer to your home, the choice is yours.