Negative Effects Of Sitting For Too Long

Almost everyone spends at least one fourth of their day sitting!
Whether watching the television, working or engaging in anything, it involves sitting down for sometime or more.

Situations and circumstances can make one sit for a long time so how does prolonged sitting affect your health?
Do you think sitting for a long time really affect your health in a bad way?
If yes, what can you do about it?
Yeah, those questions have been bothering me too and that is why I decided to find out the effects of sitting down for too long at the same spot!

Here is what I found out.

Aaccording to extensive studies and investigations over the years, sitting for a long time is known to cause the following:

1. Increase the risk of cancer:
Excessive sitting for prolonged periods may increase your risk of breast, colon and endometrial cancers. This could be due to excess insulin production, which encourages cell growth, or probably due to the fact that regular movement boosts antioxidants in your body that may destroy potential cancer-causing free radicals.
Additionally, increased cancer risk is believed to be linked to weight gain and alterations of metabolic or hormone activities, which promotes cancer.

2. Increase the risk of heart diseases:
If you sit for a long time, blood flows at a much slower rate and muscles tend to burn less fat, which makes it very easy for fatty acids to occlude around your heart. According to Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology , it was  shown that women who sit for 10 or more hours a day may have a significantly greater risk of developing heart disease than those who sit for five hours or less.

3. Lead to various posture related problems:
It absolutely normal for you to hold your neck and head forward while you work with computer or stare at the television. This can lead to strains to your cervical vertebrae or spine along with permanent imbalances, which can often lead to neck strain, pain at the shoulders and back.
It would be interesting to know that sitting puts more pressure on your spine than standing does, and that has a harmful on your back healt,h it is even worse if you're sitting hunched in front of a computer. It's estimated that 40 percent of people with back pain have spent long hours at their computer each day.
The bones of your back are meant to expand and contract as you move, which basically allows them to absorb blood and nutrients. When you sit, the bones im your back are  going to be compressed and can lose flexibility over some time. Sitting excessively can also increase your risk of herniated disks.
Your hips could also suffer from prolonged sitting, they become stiff and limited in range of motion because they are rarely extended.

4. Affect your mental well-being:
According to a study conducted in Australia, men who sat for more than six hours at work tend to have psychological distresses which includes tiredness, restlessness and nervousness.
The reasons behind this effects on mental health are not well understood.
But what I know is that your brain function slows  down when your body is sedentary for too long and that your brain will receive little oxygen to the blood. This is needed to trigger the release of brain and mood-enhancing chemicals.

5. Increase the risk of diabetes and other related problems:
Your body's capability to respond to insulin is adversely affected by just one day of excess sitting, which can cause  your pancreas to produce many amount of insulin, and this may lead to diabetes.
Research published in Diabetologia found that those people who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes compared to those who sat for lesser periods. Sitting for more than eight hours a day has also been associated with a 90 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore sitting down after you might have finished eaten causes your abdominal contents to compress, slowing down digestion. Sluggish digestion, in turn, will lead to bloating, cramping, and constipation.

Well, if you are wondering how to cope with sitting for too long at a spot when your work or an activity demands that; here is something for you!
A research from the University of Exeter suggests that sitting for long period is not as bad as wethink it is. The problem lies in the absence of movement rather than the time spent sitting itself.
So here's what to do:

Exercise a lot. Atleast to make up for all the time you spend sitting. Engaging in some form of physical exercise will help a lot.

Improve and maintain a proper posture while sitting.

Stretch always! After sitting for a while, move your body a little.

Well, I think everyone is involved in this case so don't just sit there! Try to prevent your chair from causing you irreparable harm by getting up and moving round when you can!
What do you think?﻿

