Too Much Sitting May Harm Your Health

 

Hi Readers, I was recently forwarded this article by a colleague and I am sharing it with you. Sitting for too long is harmful to your health. What is too much? Keep reading. At the end of Tiberian’s article, is my article on the same topic posted here on my blog on March 23, 2015, almost ten years ago! At the end of this blog post is a picture of how sitting incorrectly at a workstation harms the body. There is also a link to download that infographic. I know I am sitting a little taller typing this post! AgeDoc

Too Much Sitting May Harm Your Health

By Janet Tiberian, MA, MPH, CHES     Janet Tiberian is a health educator. She has more than 25 years’ experience in chronic disease prevention and therapeutic exercise.

Many people spend hours of their day sitting at a workstation – for work, to manage personal finances or engage in a hobby like gaming. That sewing desk, painter’s easel and work bench are also workstations.

But sitting for hours at a time can take a toll on your health. In fact, about 15 years ago, long-term sitting became recognized as a public health issue. It was even deemed as “the new smoking” because studies found long-term sitting raised the risk for vascular problems, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, obesity, cancer and back pain.

“Long-term sitting can interfere with proper metabolic function, slow circulation, promote feelings of exhaustion and cause postural complications and musculoskeletal issues,” says Bernard Kaminetsky, MD.

If you’re sitting between 8 and 11 hours a day, you’re at high risk for these conditions, while sitting between 4 and 8 hours provides a moderate risk and less than 4 hours is considered low risk. Fortunately, you can help alleviate the negative effects of sitting with these tips.

        Use Ergonomic Principles

Ergonomics is the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. Understanding its principles can help prevent aches, pains and fatigue, as well as help you work more proficiently. Ergonomic measurements vary among people, but you can try these steps from University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA):  https://ergonomics.ucla.edu/office-ergonomics/4-steps-set-your-workstation

Stand Up Periodically

Whether you’re sitting for periods of time to work, write in a journal, knit or even drive, it’s important to incorporate moments of standing in your day. Standing helps lower blood sugar, stress, fatigue and risk factors for heart disease. That said, if your work involves sitting, make sure you stand up at least every 30 minutes. When standing, use proper posture, which means you should:

• Stand up straight.
• Align your ears over your shoulders. 
• Gently glide your chin back straight.
• Align your shoulders over your hips.
• Pull in your stomach.
• Place your weight predominantly on the balls of your feet.
• Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.

Many activities can be performed while standing. This is why some people opt for standing desks. If you’re interested in using a standing desk, but your company doesn’t provide them or you don’t feel like purchasing one for your home, use a high table or counter and position your workstation according to your height. Click this link for recommendations on setting up your sitting to standing workstation:  https://www.uclahealth.org/safety/ergonomics/office-ergonomics/sitting-standing-workstations

Keep in mind that prolonged standing also has health drawbacks, such as muscle soreness, fatigue, slower reaction time and it may increase the risk for circulatory issues like deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins. This is why you may want a sit-to-stand desk, a type of workstation with both sitting and standing options.

        Walk Around for Few Minutes

Whether you’re sitting for hours at a workstation or on a couch to knit, watch television or doomscroll on social media, you should get up and walk around for five minutes, every half hour. Walking 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of prolonged sitting helps offset many of the harmful effects associated with sitting, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  

 

My original article posted here on 3/23/15, almost ten years ago! The material is still relevlent, although I am wearing an Apple Watch now instead of a Jawbone UP that reminds me to get up and walk. Ah, the information age! AgeDoc

Sitting Too Much Each Day May Result in Disability or Early Death

Hi Readers,

Everyone knows that sitting too much and being a couch potato is generally not good for health, right?  Well, the term, “couch potato” brings to mind an overweight, lazy person on the sofa eating fatty snacks and watching television.  However, scientists conducted a study and found that people who sit most of the day have an increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and shortened lifespans.  Published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, researcher Aviroop Biswas and his research team reviewed 47 health studies [a meta-analysis] and found that people who sit most of the day are 24% more likely to die from these conditions compared to their counterparts who are more active during the day even when they exercise an hour or more daily! An hour of exercise daily does not mitigate all of that sitting. 

So what is “sitting too much?”  Biswas defined it as sitting from 8-12 hours daily.  That places a person at great risk and his team recommended that sitting should be limited to 4-5 hours maximum per day.  People who sit at a computer/desk all day and professional drivers may be at the greatest risk because their occupation requires sitting. The researchers found that sitting compresses vital organs and impacts metabolism negatively.  It may result in leg disorders from poor circulation, muscle degeneration, organ damage, spinal damage, soft bones, diabetes, and cancer.  What is a virtual professor to do?

The experts suggest reducing time spent sitting by watching television standing up, taking walks or walk around, and gradually reduce sedentary sitting time each day.  Currently, I wear a Jawbone UP that reminds me to get up and move every hour.  I may have to invest in one of those standing desks! See attached diagram of sitting hazards with suggestions for how to sit when you must sit.  AgeDoc

References:

The below infographic shows how the brain, back, organs, muscles, and limbs can all be affected simply by lack of movement. Download the infographic, print it out and hang it by your desk as a reminder to get up and move!

Berkowitz, B., & Clark, P. (2014, January 20).  The health hazards of sitting.  Don’t just sit there! Poster.  Washington Post online. 

Biswas, A., Oh, P.I., Faulkner, G.E., Bajaj, R.R., Silver, M.A., Mitchell, M.S., Atler, D.A. (2015).  Sedentary time and its association with risk for disease incidence, mortality, and hospitalization in adults.  Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(2), 123-132. 

U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health.  (2015, January 19).  Too much sitting can be deadly- even if you exercise, review finds.  Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_150482.html