We all know how simple health problems such as getting a fat belly or becoming overweight to more serious ones such as becoming obese and inviting heart ailments all stem from a sedentary lifestyle. Why then nearly all of us end up being dominated by our beds and chairs? As per Australian researchers, it is estimated that about 6 percent of all deaths that occur are caused by long sitting time in a day.
Here are five horrifying truths that might pull you out of your beds and chairs for the better.
1. Psychological Effects
According to an Australian study, men who were observed to be sitting for more than 6 hours a day at work were 90 percent more expected to experience moderate levels of psychological distress than those who sat for fewer hours. The distress experienced by the former group includes feeling fatigued, nervous, anxious, or hopeless.
2. Risk of Cancer
It was concluded by a German meta-analysis that those who sat for really long durations each day were 24 percent more prone to developing colon cancer than those who sat the least.
For men, carrying too much weight on their frames is even more risky as it can affect your sex lives. Excess weight often leads to decreased levels of vitamin D, a component extremely important for sexual performance in men.
3. High Blood Sugar
Have erratic glucose levels? This all the more a reason to shun long sitting hours. A study from New Zealand concluded that people’s insulin and glucose levels were observed to be significantly higher when they sat for long hours together as compared to when they engaged in any mild activity before sitting, or when they got up frequently in between those sitting hours.
Frequent activity breaks burn more carbs, which help clear glucose from the blood.
4. Major Reason for Back Pain
Sitting in front of the computer is often seen as the culprit behind most spine related issues and it often results in chronic conditions if not corrected. A Penn State study found that longer sitting hours can cause compression of certain disks in your lower back. Over time, this pressure could lead to disk degeneration, which is one of the most common causes of lower back pain. So get up from that chair of yours, as frequently as possible so as to avoid back problems.
5. Sticky Blood
It is believed by researchers that certain cramped sitting positions may inhibit the motion of the legs, which further leads to a decrease in blood circulation and a an expected increase in clot formation. It was confirmed by a Danish study that people who had sedentary work lives and worked in cramped positions for example, the bus drivers or forklift drivers had 28 percent more probability of having a serious blood clot in the lungs, a problem known as pulmonary embolism.
By actively and consciously taking out the time for physical activity, sports or performing mild exercises, you can immensely reduce the incidence of the above risks and problems. At work, make sure to take frequent breaks from your workstation and perform stretching exercises at least three times in those long nine hours in the office.