Side Effects of Sitting All Day to Your Health

Every day, do you always sit in your office chair for eight hours and then spend the rest of the afternoon on your living room couch? If so, you tend to have several health issues. In addition to being a significant cause of many physical health problems, sitting every day also affects your mental health. A quality sit stand desk will reduce any risks of getting health issues if you sit all day in the office. However, if your desk and chair have no proper shapes, the risks will get much worse. Here are some side effects of sitting all day on your health

Obesity

Moving our body and muscles helps our body to discharge lipoprotein lipase. It allows smoother process sugars and fats to be burnt. On the other hand, sitting more than six hours a day reduces lipoprotein lipase activity, negatively affecting the body’s ability to burn fat. Thus, it increases the stored fat in your body and encourages the use of carbohydrates instead of fat. Not surprisingly, it contributes to weight gain.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Barely moving all day contributes to poor blood circulation. When the body burns fat and inadequate blood flow, there is a greater chance that fatty acids will block blood vessels. It leads to elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. According to a Harvard Health Publishing blog, people who sit for 10 hours or more a day have an 18% higher risk of a heart attack than people who sit less. So, sitting all day can cause severe disease hence you should be more aware of.

Diabetes

Physical inactivity, such as sitting for long periods, is an essential factor in diabetes. It is because loss of muscle mass and strength can lead to decreased insulin sensitivity. Cells are slow to respond to insulin. Besides, the human body’s insulin sensitivity is inversely proportional to the onset of diabetes. Diabetes will also lead to other various diseases which you should prevent.

Weak Muscles

Sitting, whether at work, at home, or while driving, loosens and weakens muscles, especially in the waist and lower body. If you sit all day, you are not using your lower body. It contributes to muscle atrophy. It affects the thighs, buttocks, and spine and can put you at risk. These muscles are responsible for strengthening your body when you jump or walk.

Anxiety and Depression

As mentioned above, the unwanted effects of a sedentary lifestyle are not limited to your physical well-being. They are also capable of affecting you emotionally. Many theories explain this fact. The first example of this issue is sedentary activities, such as playing video games, working on the PC, and watching TV. Aside from that, people constantly excite the nervous system, leading to an increased risk of stress. Also, people who spend most of their time sitting miss out on physical activity’s emotional health benefits and therefore feel anxious and unhappy. Furthermore, people who sit in front of a computer or television for hours on end limit exposure to sunlight and social interaction, contributing to vitamin D deficiency and feelings of isolation.

Chronic Body and Back Pain

No matter how hard you try not to recline at the office, sitting for hours inevitably leads to a host of neck, shoulder, back, and buttock problems. Sitting causes your hip flexors to shorten, your back discs to compress, and your shoulders and neck to become stiff and hunched. It causes the spine to lose flexibility and the pelvis to move outward, leading to poor posture and body discomfort. People tend to lean forward when sitting unsupported, which can cause their lower backs to round. It disrupts the natural curvature of the spine and leads to chronic low back pain.