Beware of the health consequences of prolonged sitting during work
If your work requires you to stare at your laptop screen for hours daily, then you need to be wary. When you sit, you use less energy than you do when you stand or move. Research has linked sitting for long periods with several health concerns. Dr. Vivek Dahiya, Director Institute Of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Orthopaedics, Medanta, Gurugram helped us understand these health impacts.
Feet swelling
Sitting too much gives rise to several problems, first, it can cause swelling in your feet. Dr. Dahiya says, "It can also cause your hamstrings and calve muscles to become tight, which can cause knee pain." Besides, varicose veins can develop as a result of prolonged sitting. This is because sitting makes the blood in your legs pool.
Spinal aches
Long hours of sitting can also harm your back and neck, particularly if you frequently adopt bad posture or don't use a workstation/chair that is ergonomically constructed. Bad posture can result in compression of your spine's discs, which can hasten premature deterioration and be excruciatingly uncomfortable. Your hip flexor muscles also shorten while you're sitting, which may cause issues with your hip joints.
Rise in anxiety
People who sit more frequently have an increased chance of developing both depression and anxiety. This might be because those who spend a lot of time sitting miss out on the benefits of fitness and physical activity. Additionally, spending too much time alone can cause you to isolate yourself from friends and family, which is linked to social anxiety.
High blood pressure
"When we are sitting, we are not breathing deeply, thus the oxygen supply to the body is less. All of these can lead to high blood pressure, increase in respiration rate, increase in pulse rate, and generally feeling tired all the time," says Dr Dahiya. Besides, prolonged sitting also raises your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and high cholesterol.
What you need to do
To mitigate the effects of prolonged sitting, Dr. Dahiya suggests walking for five to 10 minutes for every hour of sitting. "Plus, we should keep stretching our back, legs, and our arms. We should always go for a 45-minute walk once or twice a day and indulge in some sporting activity thrice a week," he adds.
Where we sit also matters
"Preferably, we should sit in a well-lit area, in natural light instead of artificial light, with a lot of fresh air," suggests the doctor. You could also get a desk that can be raised. Try working while standing for some time. You simply don't want to sacrifice your health just because of your work. So be cautious before you work hard.
