What happens to your body if you sit for 8 hours a day?

People spend more and more time sitting. The day starts with a look at Facebook, often on the laptop, goes through work in front of a computer and ends with returning home to watch TV series or play games… on the computer. But sitting for a long time causes very serious problems. So we hope that after reading this post, you feel like getting up and taking a step towards a more active lifestyle.

At the awesome.club we read the book “Stand Up! Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It” (Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It) and we want to share the results of many years of research by James Levin, the author of the work, who compares the lifestyle of sedentary people with alcoholism, as he considers both vices.

According to scientists, each Brit spends an average of 14 hours a day sitting. And it is likely that our average is not far from that sad statistic.

Professor Galen Krantz, from the University of California, USA, considers that remaining seated for a long time is an absolutely unnatural body posture. It is not by chance that the spine has the shape of an S, a characteristic that helps it to support great loads. However, in the sitting position, the S becomes C. The person leans over, the abdominal and lateral muscles weaken and, without regular exercise, cannot strengthen the spine and abdomen to cope with the task of supporting the body. .

When you are sitting, all the load goes to the pelvis and the spine, causing the pressure on the intervertebral discs to increase. Due to the constant tension, the cervical vertebrae end up being compressed, which causes a decrease in the intensity of blood flow to the brain. As a result, symptoms such as headaches and visual impairment begin to appear.

The spine is a type of armor that helps protect the internal organs, so it is very important that it is always straight and that it does not suffer from too many loads.

One of the most serious consequences of a sedentary lifestyle is the high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease or chronic hypertension. Due to passive lifestyle, muscles decrease, blood supply worsens, and blood vessel tone decreases.

Lack of physical activity is one of the main causes of early arteriosclerosis (densification of blood vessels, due to the deposition of cholesterol plaques). The balance between oxygen intake and consumption changes. The heart needs more oxygen than it receives from the blood.

A large-scale study involving over 17,000 people and lasting over 13 years showed that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle are 54% more likely to die from a heart attack.

People who spend all day sitting suffer from poor circulation in the lower extremities, which leads to the formation of varicose veins, a problem that women are more predisposed to suffer.

One of the reasons for this phenomenon, in addition to the hereditary factor, is that women often sit cross-legged. So the blood vessels end up being compressed and the blood gets strangled in certain places.

Circulation problems are also dangerous, as they can lead to blood clots, which can easily clog vital blood vessels to the heart, lungs and brain.

Excess weight is one of the most common effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Metabolism slows down and there is a reduction in the amount of calories burned, the excess of which ends up being deposited in the body in the form of fat.

As soon as a person sits down, their body decreases fat burning by 90%, insulin levels decrease, and blood pressure rises. In the last 50 years, since most jobs have become sedentary, people burn far fewer calories.

When you work out standing, you burn approximately 35% more calories than if you were sitting. And according to the law of energy balance, this is a key factor in losing or maintaining weight.

Due to the tendency to stoop and poor mobility, the muscles become weak and flabby. This process primarily affects the abdominal muscles and buttocks.

Another possible consequence of a sedentary lifestyle is osteoporosis. The truth is that, in the sitting position, the bones experience no difficulty in supporting the body. Over time, this leads to a loss of strength, the bone tissue structure becomes more porous, and bones become more fragile and brittle.

In 2011, it was shown that sitting for a long time for just one day leads to a decrease in the level of insulin consumption by cells. As a result, there is a greater predisposition to diabetes and other diseases.

A sedentary lifestyle can also cause one of the most unpleasant diseases: chronic constipation and, in especially severe cases, hemorrhoids.

Second scientific article published in the journal The Lancet, inactivity is responsible for an alarming rate of mortality: 5.3 million people a year are victims of the so-called hypokinesia (reduction in the ability to move around), even exceeding the number of people who die due to problems caused by cigarette consumption – 5 million.

Telomeres, located at the ends of chromosomes, responsible for protecting them from damage, shorten as the body ages. It has been shown that in a sedentary lifestyle, telomeres shorten more rapidly than in active bodies. This makes the aging process noticeably accelerate.

The price of our comfort is very high: every hour of sitting costs us two hours of life.

A sedentary lifestyle also negatively affects mental health. People who do not face any physical burden are more prone to depression and anxiety. The chairs we sit on become our islands of alienation and loneliness.

Studies have shown that a person who spends all his time sitting does not generate enough endorphins, as these substances are released during sports demands and physical exercise. These hormones help to improve mood, favoring the feeling of happiness and relaxation .

In addition, sports have an impact on the production of the hormone serotonin, whose imbalance can lead to depression and affect memory and appetite. On the other hand, working the body helps to improve self-esteem and increase self-confidence.

A sedentary lifestyle can cause problems with sleep. When we are constantly sitting, our body interprets this as…continuous rest, even though there is intense brain activity.

And if you’ve been “resting” all day, your body decides it no longer needs to relax and rest, which means it no longer needs sleep. Regular exercise, therefore, helps to eliminate insomnia and improves sleep quality.

In the case of men, a sedentary lifestyle can cause erectile dysfunction, prostatitis and hormonal imbalance.

When men spend many hours sitting in the same position, blood circulation in the pelvis significantly worsens, which leads to the development of inflammatory processes, which can lead to more serious problems.

A sedentary lifestyle causes fat deposits to increase, leading to an altered hormonal balance. In adipose tissue, female hormones called estrogens are formed, which cause an enlarged abdomen in men. And it’s not easy to get rid of the belly afterwards.

In some companies, employees are motivated to walk more: water filters and rubbish are placed away from work desks. Children’s games like foosball and tennis in offices are a great way to encourage movement, as are meetings and workshops on this topic.

Researchers and doctors recommend the following:

Walk more often. On public transport, do not rush to sit down. At the office, reach out to your colleagues instead of calling or writing to them. Remain standing in business meetings when possible. Take a lunch break, eat out of the office. Instead of using the elevator or escalator, use the common stairs. Take breaks during work and follow a simple workout routine. On short journeys, instead of driving, prefer to go on foot or by bicycle.

After reading our post, did you feel like getting up from your chair? Or maybe you did it halfway through reading. Tell our team in the comments.