10 Unforeseen Harms When You Sit in One Place for Too Long

Spinal cord injury

Sitting in one place for too long makes it difficult to maintain good posture. When tired, you tend to hunch your back, relax your shoulders, lean to one side or lean forward. This condition can lead to hunchback, poor posture, and worse, spinal damage.

Heart attack

Lack of physical activity is one of the main reasons for premature atherosclerosis (the buildup of cholesterol plaques in the veins). A study of 17,000 people over 13 years found that those with a sedentary lifestyle were 54% more likely to die from a heart attack than those who were active.

Varicose veins

People who spend most of their time sitting at work are prone to developing varicose veins in the lower extremities. Although they can occur in both sexes, women are more commonly affected.

Weight gain, belly fat

LPL, also known as lipoprotein lipase, is an enzyme that breaks down fat and converts it into energy for the body to function. When you sit a lot, this enzyme does not work effectively, so more fat accumulates in the body.

Muscle and joint pain

Neck, shoulder, and nape pain are considered one of the serious 'office diseases'. Lack of exercise makes muscles and joints weak, susceptible to osteoporosis and more vulnerable to injury.

Diabetes

A study conducted in the Netherlands showed that just sitting continuously for one hour is enough to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. When you sit continuously, the activity of the pancreas will be affected, thereby affecting the insulin hormone content in the blood, which can easily lead to diabetes.

Aging

Sitting for long periods of time causes poor blood circulation and skin to lose its firmness. Blue light from computer screens also causes skin to age faster.

Stress

According to research, sitting continuously leads to a lack of endorphins, a substance that creates positive emotions and improves mood. Physical activities help increase endorphins in the body. Therefore, sitting in one place for too long can increase the risk of stress and depression.

Insomnia

Lack of movement can affect the quality of your sleep. Your body interprets sitting all day as rest, even when your brain is working at full capacity. So if you “rest” all day, your body will no longer need sleep and relaxation time.

Husband and wife story

Men with sedentary lifestyles are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, prostate problems and hormonal imbalances.

To overcome the problem of sitting too much, you should:

- Stretch your shoulders, neck, and body regularly even during working hours.

- Use stairs instead of elevator.

- Get up from your seat after every hour of work.

- Drink plenty of water to have a 'good reason' to get out of the room (get more water, go to the bathroom).

- Exercise regularly.