Does the traffic give you red alerts?

New Delhi: As you find yourself stuck in an endless array of vehicles, chances are the feeling of rage and physical discomfort may strike you.

Watch out, for it could be Traffic Stress Syndrome (TSS). And besides ruining your mood, it could also be taking a toll on your health.

TSS is a form of anxiety and hits one in three drivers. No prizes for guessing, that it makes you irritable and angrier than normal.

TSS can strike even three minutes after you're stuck in a traffic jam. Symptoms include an increased heart-rate, sweaty palms, head aches and more severely — nausea, dizziness and stomach cramps.

It also results in the loss of concentration, which is extremely dangerous for drivers.

Psychiatrist Dr Sandeep Vohra of Apollo Hospital in Delhi explains the effects of TSS: "Road rage is increasing because the stress levels are rising. You have to have patience while driving. You're already stressed out and the anger gets displaced towards the opposite party. This results into angry reactions, most of which are uncalled for."

UK Insurer Direct Line and psychology lecturer David Moxon carried out a study on drivers in the UK and found that traffic stress is an identifiable syndrome.

They found that nine million UK drivers suffer from Traffic Stress and the symptoms begin to manifest barely 3 to 5 minutes after being stuck in traffic.

20 per cent of drivers surveyed had increased heart-rates, 19 per cent suffered headaches and 12 per cent get sweaty palms when stuck in traffic. Over eight per cent reported nausea and dizziness and another eight per cent reported stomach cramps — all signs of stress.

Half-way across the world here in India, it's hard to imagine anyone who's stress-free, but you can give it a shot.

Dr Vohra says that we take our stress and baggage with us when we hit the roads. "If you even do something as simple as leave a 15-20 minute buffer when leaving home (so that you're not harassed or pressed for time or worried about making it to meet your boss!) then any additional delays on the road won't anger you, or stress you out as much."

Also, Dr Vohra says that the car is a representation of your ego, so if you're hit or somebody cuts you off on the road, it feels like your ego is being threatened, which is why you might tend to react more angrily than is warranted.

If you find yourself freaking out when you're stuck in traffic, you can relieve the symptoms by taking long, deep breaths, listening to some calming music or distracting yourself with pleasant thoughts.

You could even use aroma-oil for fragrance in your car. The point is to tune out, and forget about the chaos outside your window.

Write in with your suggestions on how to cope with traffic stress.