What Happens When You Drive For Over 2 Hours Everyday?

Driving may be your passion and you end up driving for hours together. But do you know how this could dampen your health? It reduces your intelligence.

Researchers have found that brain power fell faster in middle-aged people who drove long distances every day.

"We know that regularly driving for more than two to three hours a day is bad for your heart. This research suggests it is bad for your brain, too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours" said, Kishan Bakrania, from the Leicester University in the UK.

During the study researchers studied lifestyles of more than 500,000 Britons aged 37-73 over five years, during which they took intelligence and memory tests.

In the study it was concluded that 93,000 people who drove for more than two to three hours a day typically had lower brainpower. Over the following five years, their brainpower kept declining faster than for people who did little or no driving.

"Cognitive decline is measurable over five years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people. This is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet - and now with time spent driving," Bakrania added.

• Reasons You Should Not Drive When You Are Dehydrated
• People Who Should Avoid Driving