The dangers of sitting are numerous. When one sits, they use less energy than when they are standing. As such, various research studies have shown that sitting for long hours puts your health at risk. With extended hours sitting, you are at risk of increased blood pressure, high sugar levels, and excess body fats. Therefore, experts recommend that you need to take a break from sitting every 30 minutes.
This blog covers the dangers of sitting.
Weight Gain
Movement makes your muscles release essential molecules responsible for digesting fats and sugars. For someone who spends a lot of time sitting, digestion does not happen. The fats and sugars remain in the body.
Studies have also shown that even when you exercise, you will still be at risk of metabolic syndrome. Experts recommend that you need about 60-75 minutes of exercise every day to counter the dangers of excessive sitting.
Varicose Veins and Deep Vein Thrombosis
With excessive sitting, blood pools in the legs. It results in varicose veins or spider veins. Spider veins are a smaller version of varicose veins. They may not be harmful, but they can cause blood clots.
Blood clots in the leg veins can lead to deep vein thrombosis, which is a serious problem. Severe cases may have a part of the blot clot breaking away and blocking blood flow to other parts of the body. It can result in pulmonary embolism, which may lead to death.
Weak Bones
Exercises like standing and walking benefit your body’s skeleton. It signals the body to replace worn-out bone tissue with new bone tissue. When someone sits for long, the replacement happens less frequently. It results in fragile bones that increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially when someone gets older.
Neck and Back Pain
Sitting puts pressure on the discs in your spine, leading to premature degeneration. Additionally, your back suffers, especially if your sitting posture is poor. You will experience pain in your back and hips. Also, your neck and shoulders will be in pain. When you are hunched over looking at your computer screen, you develop what is referred to as text neck.
Depression and Anxiety
Exercising helps your mental health. On the flip side, sitting for extended periods may lead to several mental health problems, including stress and anxiety. You will lack the positive effects of physical activity.
Increased Risk of Cancer
Studies show that excessive sitting increases your chances of developing cancers. The most like cancers are endometrial, colon, and lung cancer. The reason is yet to be uncovered.
Bottom-line
With the many dangers to your physical and mental health, we can conclude that less sitting, coupled with more moving, can improve your health. You can choose to stand when you have the chance rather than remain seated. Another thing is to ensure that you walk with colleagues to meetings instead of sitting in conference rooms. Most importantly, you can enroll with a personal trainer to help you combat the dangers of sitting. Getting some hours of exercise every week can be helpful.