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If you have a job that demands you to sit down straight for 8-9 hours, chances are that you might have a heavy bank account but deteriorating health.
Sitting around on a desk not just affects your weight but overall health. Knowing what happens to your body when you sit all day is a necessity to overcome the risks.
For the most part, the health risks are very undermining, meaning that the majority of the people don’t even know that something is wrong until it’s too late.
In here, we are going to be discussing about some of the effects of prolonged sitting in terms of your physical and mental health.
What Happens to Your Body When You Sit All Day?
This is why knowing the effects of sitting for a long period of time can help you overcome the condition accordingly.
Some of the most notable side effects and risks include:
1. Impacts on Cardiovascular Health
In one of the conducted studies (R), the researchers compared the heart health of the transit drivers with that of the conductors who are always on the move. The researchers found that the drivers, who sit all day long, tend to have poor heart health in comparison to the latter.
This was one of the reasons because of the inactivity, labored blood circulation and even the weight gain that follows the situation.
This is believed that the individuals who are sitting too long also have higher risks of accumulated cholesterol levels in the body which further end up contributing to worsening cardiovascular health risks.
2. Affected Posture
You are likely to struggle with poor and droopy posture, one that directly affects the spine health as well.
Given that majority of the working professionals working a desk job tend to stay hunched over the desks for a longer time period, the same ends up affecting the back and can even enhance the risks associated back pain, soreness and even stiffness around the shoulders and the back.
If you don’t move around and stay static in a position, chances are that the same will end up affecting your health for the worse.
3. Hampered Metabolism
If you are someone who already struggles with poor metabolic rate in the body, it is likely that you are making the situation worse if you sit around the desk all day long.
This is one of the reasons why it is believed that you should most definitely focus on avoiding doing that for extended time periods.
The inactivity of the muscles and the lack of contractions (R) make it tougher for the body to clear out and oxidise the accumulated fats in the body, further contributing to the labored rate of metabolism in the body.
The same has been found to have direct impacts on the insulin function in the body as well, further making the situation even worse.
4. Risks of Organ Damage
Lack of activity and the sedentary state of the body has often been associated with lack of oxidation of the fats in the body, paired with the affected rate of blood circulation in the body as well.
This inactivity and the constant accumulation of the fats in the bloodstream further enhance the risks of hypertension, high cholesterol levels and even causing blockages in the blood vessels which then affect the heart health and function.
The body is also likely to have more production of insulin, causing the risks of developing insulin resistance in the body which further enhance the risks of diabetes.
The same might also enhance the risks of certain types of cancers as well.
5. Weight Gain
It doesn’t require separate reasoning as to why the constant sedentary lifestyle is associated with poor health, mainly because of the fact that it slows down the metabolism and even prevents the streamlined fat oxidation.
Not just that, studies have also found that inactivity or sitting for long period of time has also been found to have direct impacts on the lipoprotein lipase activity (R) in the body, which further slows down the fat burning in the body, causing the same to accumulate.
The same results in constant fat deposition, further enhancing the risks associated with weight gain and obesity.
6. Impacting the Mental Health
It was reported in a study (R) that the individuals who spend the majority of their day sitting around, chances are that their health is at risk and the same impacts their state of being too.
On the other hand, people who move around and are not stuck in one single position are likely to have a happier life instead.
7. Weakened Muscle Health
If you are wondering why, it is mainly because of the constant inactivity that the body is projected to. If your body fails to be active, chances are that your muscles are inactive as well.
When the same happens for prolonged time periods, the same has been found to have direct impacts on the muscle functions in the long run.
They are at risks of getting stiff, if the same situation prevails. This is the reason why it is important that you move around even if it is for a minute or so.
It is likely that your muscles will lose their proficiency when it is subjected to constant inactivity.
8. Heightened Risks of Dementia
Even though you might not notice the symptoms right away, chances are that the same will end up affecting your health and your cognitive skills in the long run.
Since the sustained inactivity is associated with the development of some of the high end chronic diseases, it is necessary for you to understand that the prevalence of any of the chronic diseases is what further deteriorates the condition of dementia in individuals.
More studies need to be conducted to find better sources why the same happens but it is believed that the same could very well be because of the heightened risks of chronic diseases.
9. Counterfeits the impacts of workout
It is most likely that your body is experiencing all of these side effects, mainly because of the inactivity projected throughout the rest of the day.
This is the reason why it is important that you take breaks in between to prevent the body from being in a constant state of rut that further ends up causing negative impacts on the body.
According to the health statistics, it is believed that when you sit around for 10 hours straight, you are posing your body to experience 80% negative impacts even when you have worked out in the morning.
10. Heightened Risks of Chronic Pain
Not just that, sitting around for longer time periods have also been found to have direct impacts on your posture, which further contributes to the complaints of back pain.
These kinds of somatic pains have often been associated with chronic pain when the situation is constant and not changing.
Your body is also more prone to injuries when you are sitting too long because of the inactivity of the gluteal muscles which further have been associated with the risks of chronic pain in the body.
11. Muscle Degeneration
Muscle degeneration is yet another one of the common risks that you are likely going to experience for sitting for long period of time.
The primary reason why that happens is because the muscles aren’t engaged in an activity, causing them to either become stiff or sometimes waste away as well.
Sitting constantly for work or for your lazy character direct impacts your glutes and hips and has been found to have negative impacts on the body and the muscle function as well.
The glutes are often the primary muscles which are affected the most in such cases, which is why it is very important that you do pay close attention and opt for mitigation steps to ensure that the situation doesn’t become worse.
12. Heightened Risks of Diabetes
Even a conducted study (R) found that the risks of diabetes is a lot more in individuals who lead an inactive lifestyle and have more sitting time during the day in comparison to the ones who don’t.
The primary reason why this happens is because of muscle inactivity. This contributes to the reduced impacts of insulin sensitivity, thereby contributing to the risks of diabetes development in the body.
The lower insulin sensitivity contributes to sustained high levels of blood glucose levels in the bloodstream which further raises the risks of diabetes incidence in the individual.
13. Might Affect Bone Health
When you indulge in exercises and even the simple act of walking, the brain triggers the bone tissues to be replaced with new.
When you are sitting too long and not indulging in physical activity, chances are that the same ends up contributing to the risks of affected and weakened bone health.
The same also leads to heightened risks of developing the condition of osteoporosis as well.
14. Impacts on the Nervous System
Yet another one of the common health risks of sitting at a desk all day is that it impacts the nerves and might cause pain as well.
As the muscles are constantly inactive, the same causes a pull around the nerves, which end up weakening them and even causing constant pain unlike anything else.
The constant pinching of the nerves is what causes the discomfort that you often do feel. The same also directly contributes to the constant back pain that many tend to complain about.
15. Risks of Deep Vein Thrombosis
For those wondering what happens to your body when you sit all day, deep vein thrombosis is one of the most common issues that you are likely going to experience.
Deep vein thrombosis is a condition which is characterized by the development of a clot in the blood vessels in the leg. The condition often happens when you sit around for a long time period.
For the most part, the condition is stable if the clot is localized in the leg but the moment it dislodges, there are risks of it ending up blocking the lungs and the functions.
The symptoms of this condition are not that extensive and are often characterized by swelling and discomfort around the legs. This is the reason why it is important that you pay close attention to the condition before it takes a toll on your health.
How Can You Minimize the Risks?
Some of the important pointers to keep in mind include:
- Make sure that you focus on getting up and walking around to prevent the risks. You can even walk around for a minute or two, if required
- Stretch your body and legs, especially to keep the blood circulation normal
- Ensure to keep yourself hydrated
- Sit straight as much as possibly, instead of hunching down
- Try and work in an ergonomic workspace for better comfort
These are some of the answers to what happens to your body when you sit all day. Not only does it end up taking a toll on your health, it also deteriorates your overall condition in the long run. Just ensure that you practice precautions because that is what helps keep the risks in check. We hope it helps you overcome the struggles.