Sitting: The New Smoking

Thanks to many awareness programs, people are now well-informed about the many hazards of smoking. Smoking is responsible for cancer, cardiac problems, bronchitis and emphysema. Every year we lose 6 million people to smoking related issues. The title of this article calls sitting the new smoking. A lot of people might find this hard to believe. This article will try to throw some light on the ill-effects of prolonged sitting.

Notice toddlers, how flexible they are. They crouch, crawl and even pop their toes into their mouth with ease. This is how agile our human body is. Unfortunately, when children start their schooling, they are more often than not chained to their desks. This sitting becomes their new normal. Our body which was designed to be mobile and active is forced to remain stationary.

Scientific Evidence on the Dangers of Prolonged Sitting

Prolonged sitting refers to being seated for 3-4 hours continuously along with a sedentary lifestyle. A number of studies have concurred that this can lead to many health issues, a few of which are given below:

• Cancer: There is a greater incidence of various kinds of cancers in people who remain seated for 6-8 hours a day. This is irrespective of the amount of exercise that they do.

• Heart Disease: People who are seated for more than 6 hours have a greater risk of developing a heart disease in comparison to people who are seated for only 3 hours.

• Obesity: Diet and exercise were considered till now the cornerstones for avoiding obesity. However, only a few people are aware that sitting contributes to obesity. Being active is indeed another very important factor in avoiding obesity. According to studies conducted by Mayo Clinic, it was found that people who sit for long hours have a higher tendency to become obese in comparison to people whose work requires them to stand and move about. Obesity in turn increases the risk of heart attack, diabetes, cancer, and depression while also elevating cholesterol levels.

• Cholesterol: Lipoprotein lipase is a chemical which controls cholesterol by burning fat. This chemical’s production is reduced in people who sit for many hours together thus leading to an increase in their cholesterol level.

• Depression: Studies have shown that 47% of people involved in jobs requiring them to be seated for more than 7 hours suffer from depression. This increases to 90% in people who do not exercise.

• Back Pain: Prolonged sitting leads to weakened back muscles and improper spine posture causing back pain. Normally people over 40 years of age develop back pain. But with prolonged sitting, there are increased chances of people developing back pain by 30 years of age. Sitting increases the pressure on the spinal discs, causes early wear and tear of back muscles and weakens the muscles leading to early degeneration.

Tips to Overcome Problems Caused by Prolonged Sitting

• Avoid being seated for more than 2 hours at a stretch. If your job demands your presence at your desk continuously, take a 5- or 10-minute break to walk around and stretch your legs.

• Try standing and working, stay mobile and while sitting, sit erect.

• Do not slouch when you are seated. A correct sitting posture is one in which your back and thigh are at 90 degrees to one another.

• Make sure that the computer on which you are working on is positioned properly at the right level.

• During tea/coffee breaks, take a stroll instead of staying confined to the office space. The natural light will indeed do wonders.

• Avoid stress and work out regularly.

Sit Smart!

A normal working day of a person involves being seated for 6-8 hours and a commute of 2 hours. This translates to spending nearly 32 years of life seated. We cannot avoid going to work or sitting at our desks, what we can avoid are the hazards of prolonged sitting now that we are aware of it. Follow the above tips, sit smart and stay healthy.

Watch Dr. G. Balamurali, senior consultant for spine and neurosurgery at Kauvery Hospital, explain the hazards of prolonged sitting and his pointers on sitting smart