The development of technology has led to the fact that recently people have less need and desire to engage in physical activity, but at the same time they have to sit for a long time. During the day, people sit at work, and when they return home, they sit in front of the TV or computer. At the same time, everyone knows that being in a sitting position for a long time is harmful to health, because the human body is not designed for this. We can say that our body needs movement. But how dangerous is it to sit for long periods of time, and how much time spent sitting can be life-threatening? This question was answered by researchers at the University of California at San Diego, who conducted a large-scale study.
Scientists have found out how long sitting increases the risk of death
How dangerous long sitting is to life
K In their work, the authors recruited almost 6,000 women aged 63 to 99 years. All of them wore an activity monitor for a week, which showed how much time they sat and in general how active their lifestyle was. The scientists then followed all the participants for ten years. During this time, 1,733 women died.
Using artificial intelligence, scientists compared the time the participants sat with the risk of death. As it turned out, women who sat for 11 hours a day or more each day had a 57% increased risk of death compared to those who sat for less than 9.5 hours a day. Researchers report this in the Journal Of American Heart Association.
Prolonged sitting leads to the formation of blood clots, increased blood sugar and other disorders
Is it possible to compensate prolonged sitting and physical activity
There are situations when a person is forced to sit for a long time, and cannot change the situation. But is it possible to eliminate the health risk in this case? Unfortunately, as reported in a study by American scientists, the increased risk of death remains in any case, no matter how much a person exercises after spending a long time in a sedentary position.
Another study published in 2019 also found that increasing the amount of exercise did not eliminate the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke, which occur due to too much sitting. And this is quite logical. If, for example, a person has blood clots, physical activity will not help get rid of them. Therefore, the risk of death due to blood clot rupture still remains.
However, there is a study conducted by Australian scientists that showed that taking about 10 thousand steps a day every day still helps reduce the risk of premature death even in people who sit a lot. However, as Science Alert reports, the study by Australian scientists may not be accurate because it incorrectly estimated the amount of time the participants sat during the day.
Physical activity does not reduce the increased risk of death due to prolonged sitting
The study by American scientists seems more reliable, and it emphasizes the need to sit less. This also coincides with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which recommend limiting time and breaking up long periods of sitting.
How long to sit is life-threatening
How long can you sit before it is safe for life? One study showed that even 7 hours a day — it's too much. In addition, there are many studies that have shown that you should not sit for more than 30 minutes at a time. Otherwise, blood pressure and blood sugar levels increase.
It is advisable not to sit continuously for longer than 30 minutes
It follows that you need to take breaks periodically, for example , stand up and take at least a few steps. Smart gadgets that report long-term inactivity can help with this. If you don’t have the opportunity to get up, for example, at work or school, you need to at least do exercises with your hands. One study published in 2020 showed that hand exercises can lower blood sugar levels in wheelchair users.
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Finally, let us remind you that it is not only prolonged sitting that greatly increases the risk of death. Lack of sleep has approximately the same negative effect on the body. Unfortunately, constant lack of sleep has become another feature of modern life.