A new set of studies conducted by scientists indicate that people who sit for hours everyday are likely to have lower life expectancy than their physically active counterparts. This study is especially important considering that a significant percentage of the population nowadays works on computers. All of these people spend continuous hours sitting at the same place. At the same time, technology has further worsened the situation while trying to make our lives more comfortable. Using remote controls has also added to the problem.
Scientists claim that when we sit for long time our body starts storing everything because it detects lack of electrical impulse due to activity. Our muscles go to into a slow mode too. Sitting for long hours for a long time can mean an inactive lifestyle, which can adversely affect your body strength, capacity and different functions.
If you are sitting for more than 3 hours a day, you should know about the following points:
– You are at a higher risk of dying earlier than people who are more active. If you are a woman, avoid sitting for long hours. If you spend 6+ hours per day sitting, you are at a 40% risk of dying in 13 years against another woman who does not sit more than 3 hours per day. This has been studied and reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology. On the other hand, the risk stood at 18% more for men who sat an average of 6+ hours per day.
– When you sit for long hours, it can increase the chances of developing a condition known as thrombosis. In this case blood circulation can be affected because sitting for hours can result in blood clots.
– Sitting for extended periods of time on a regular basis can also put you at the risk of getting cancer, diabetes, heart disease and many other chronic disease. This has been indicated in another scientific research from Australia.
– If you spend months or years sitting for hours every days, it could also interfere with your mood. Lack of physical activity can also cause depression. If you are a woman who fits perfectly into this profile, you are at double the risk of getting depression and related problems compared to other women who are physically active.
– It has long been accepted that people who sit for long hours are more likely to put on weight. Recent studies have also proven this to be true. Your body generates 50% more amount of fat when you spend more time sitting and putting pressure on your bottom and legs.
– Cardiovascular issues can also develop because of long-duration sitting. This has also been shown in a study performed by the Men’s Health (published – Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal). Your risk of dying from heart attack increases by more than 50% if you spend most of your day sitting.
– When you sit for hours, it is also going to interfere with the insulin resistance in your body. It will also affect inflammation, creating the perfect situation for development of diabetes.
– You are also at an enhanced risk of developing cancer because of your sedentary lifestyle. In a study covering tens of thousands of patients in the US, epidemiologist Christine Friedenreich of the Alberta Health Services-Cancer Care came to a stunning conclusion about its relation with cancer. She came across over 40,000 cases of colon cancer and almost 50,000 cases of breast cancer associated with this cause.
– A sedentary lifestyle involving hours of sitting everyday can also increase the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome. It can increase your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), plasma triglycerides, and also increase insulin resistance. The blood sugar levels shoot up and fat starts accumulating in the body. Lack of physical activity minimizes the utilization of your larger muscles. All this causes changes in your brain signals cause adverse impacts on your metabolic rate.
– It has been well known that sitting has negative effects on the back. This has been proven in studies too. Long sitting hours put weight and pressure on your lower back. There is inconsistent pressure on different parts of the back and this develops problems over time.
Make sure to break your regular sittings every 3 hours. Take walks for 5 minutes to undo any damages done to the arteries in the legs. You should also stand up and do some squatting every hour. Doing some other work in between can also help.
Source: Living Traditionally