Dangers of Sedentary Lifestyle! Why Sitting is the New Smoking?

Sedentary lifestyles can be harmful to your health. The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances of leading a healthy life. If you stand or move around during the day, you have a lower risk of early death than if you sit at a desk. Sedentary lifestyles are associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, hypertension, and anxiety.

After examining thirteen research studies in total, researchers discovered that the mortality risk linked with sitting still for more than eight hours without moving is similar to that of smoking and obesity combined. More than a million people participated in this investigation, which also revealed that 60 to 75 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise can help lessen the harmful effects of extended sitting on one's health. 

What is a Sedentary Lifestyle?

A sedentary lifestyle is one in which there is little or no physical activity. It is linked to several chronic health disorders and is growing in importance as a public health concern. An estimated 3.2 million deaths worldwide are attributed to inadequate physical activity, which is practiced by about 31% of the world's population aged 15 and older. 

A low level of physical exercise involvement may be caused by a variety of circumstances. Air pollution, congestion, a lack of parks or pedestrian walkways, and a dearth of sports or recreation centers are a few environmental problems.  A more sedentary lifestyle is positively connected with watching television, watching videos, and using a cell phone. This socio-cultural setting is anticipated to contribute to the continued rise in sedentary behaviors. A sedentary lifestyle is one in which there is little or no physical activity. It is linked to several chronic health disorders and is growing in importance as a public health concern. 

An estimated 3.2 million deaths worldwide are attributed to inadequate physical activity, which is practiced by about 31% of the world's population aged 15 and older. A low level of physical exercise involvement may be caused by a variety of circumstances. Air pollution, congestion, a lack of parks or pedestrian walkways, and a dearth of sports or recreation centers are a few environmental problems. A more sedentary lifestyle is positively connected with watching television, watching videos, and using a cell phone. This socio-cultural setting is anticipated to contribute to the continued rise in sedentary behaviors.

Why Sitting Is Called The New Smoking? 

Sitting is the new smoking since most of us spend most of our waking hours sitting at desks, in cars, or lounging on couches while watching television. With all of these behaviors, sitting has become the norm, and medical professionals think that leading a sedentary lifestyle can be harmful to one's general health and wellness.

What Are The Physical Effects Of A Sedentary Lifestyle? 

Humans are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system function more effectively that way. In the upright position, the bowel also functions more efficiently. It is common for people to experience problems in their bowel functions when they are bedridden in a hospital.  On the other side, when you exercise, your bones stay strong and your general energy levels and endurance increase.

The following are the impacts of how sitting affects the whole body:

• Muscles of the lower limbs (Legs ) and gluteals (bum muscles): Sitting for a longer period can result in weakening and wasting away of the large leg and gluteal muscles. These strong muscles are essential for walking and for stabilizing you. You are at a higher risk to injure yourself from falls, and from strains when you do exercise if these muscles are weak.
• Weight: Your body breaks down the sugars and fats you intake with the assistance of your muscles. Long periods of sitting lead to inefficient digestion, which means your body stores those sugars and fats as fat. If you work out but spend a lot of time sitting down, you run the risk of developing health issues like metabolic syndrome. According to recent studies, engaging in moderate-intensity physical exercise for 60–75 minutes daily can help counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting.
• Heart conditions: Heart disease has been connected to prolonged sitting. According to one study, men who watch more than 23 hours of television every week are 64% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who watch only 11 hours.  According to several specialists, sitting for extended periods of time combined with inactivity increases the chance of a heart attack or stroke by 147%.

Also, read: 6 Early Signs That Can Indicate a Heart Attack

• Hips and back: Sitting for extended periods of time can also weaken your hips and back, just as it can your legs and gluteals. Your hip flexor muscles shorten when you sit, which can result in problems with your hip joint. Long durations of sitting can also lead to back issues, particularly if you don't utilize an ergonomic chair or workspace or if you sit with bad posture all the time. In addition to causing poor posture, bad posture can also contribute to premature degeneration of the spine, which can be extremely painful, by compressing the discs in your spine.
• Depression and anxiety: Although the relationship between sitting and mental health is not as well understood as the relationship between sitting and physical health, we do know that increased sitting increases the risk of anxiety and depression in individuals.  This could be the result of individuals who spend a lot of time sitting down not reaping the benefits of health and physical activity. If so, getting up and moving may be beneficial.
• Diabetes: Diabetes studies have revealed that even five days in bed can enhance the body's resistance to insulin, which raises blood sugar levels over recommended levels. Studies show that an increased sitting habit is associated with a 112 percent increased risk of diabetes. 
• Varicose veins: Long durations of sitting may result in spider veins, which are a smaller version of varicose veins. This is a result of your legs' blood pooling while you sit. Most of the time, varicose veins are not dangerous. Rarely, they may result in blood clots, which can pose major risks.
• Stiff shoulders and neck: Spending a lot of time leaning forward over a computer keyboard can cause stiffness and soreness in your shoulders and neck.
• Deep vein thrombosis: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can be brought on by prolonged sitting, such as during a lengthy flight or car ride. A blood clot that develops in your leg veins is called a deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis is a dangerous condition because a pulmonary embolism might arise from a blood clot in the leg vein breaking off and moving to other regions of the body, including the lungs. This is a serious medical emergency that may result in major complications or even death.
• According to recent research, sitting may increase your risk of developing lung, uterine, and colon cancers, among other cancer types. The reason behind this is yet unknown.

How Can You Protect Your Health From The Dangers Of Sitting?

It is still possible to improve your daily exercise levels and get several health advantages if you are currently not receiving enough of them. The activities should include walking, running, cycling or climbing stairs. Using stairs instead of escalators, getting up and walling in between the works, riding a bicycle for small distance travels, setting reminders to stand up and walk every 30 minutes of work etc will help to reduce the time being spent sedentary.

These easy suggestions will help you stay active when you're at home: 

• Instead of bringing everything out at once when cleaning, store things in little trips.
• To help you remember to get up and move, set your television's timer to turn off an hour earlier than usual.
• When using a phone, move about.
• When your favorite TV shows are on, get up and iron.
• While you clean, work in the garden, or go on a stroll, listen to books that have been recorded instead of sitting down to read.
• Take public transit and stand there, or get off a stop early and walk there.

If you work in an office: 

• As you read reports or emails, get up.
• To force yourself to stand up in order to discard anything, move your trash can away from your desk.
• When on conference calls, wander around the room and use the speaker phone.

Conclusion

Research has linked a sedentary lifestyle to severe health conditions. Many people do not reach the recommended minimum levels of physical exercise, and prolonged periods of inactivity put them at risk for health problems. By raising their physical activity levels and utilizing the aforementioned strategies to cut down on inactive time, people can lower the hazards associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is a sedentary lifestyle worse than smoking?

A: Not exercising is much worse for your health than smoking. However, the data show that if you're five times more likely to die from sedentary behavior, the odds of dying from smoking or diabetes are only 1.4 or 1.3 times higher, respectively.

Q: Why is sitting as bad as smoking?

A: Sedentary lifestyles are associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, and anxiety.