Be Alert, These are 9 Dangers of Sitting Too Long for Health

Even though it looks trivial, sitting for too long can actually be harmful to health. What are the effects on the body if you often do this? Check out the full explanation below.

Dangers of Sitting Too Long for Health

The following are various health problems that might occur if you sit too long, including:

1. Weight Increase

Too much sitting means your body will move less; it means your body doesn’t burn fat properly—and you may continue to eat high-calorie, high-fat foods. In the end, this habit will lead to weight gain.

Based on research, moving a lot while working will make the body burn fat into energy. So, even though you haven’t eaten, energy can still be produced from burning fat reserves in the body.

2. Decreased Energy

The body will tend to feel tired and not energized when sitting for too long and doing the same activities throughout the day.

Not moving does not mean you are saving energy, but actually it will actually reduce energy. An immobile body will also make you unexcited.

3. Back Pain

One of the most common disorders in the body when sitting for too long is back pain. This pain appears because the sitting position is not correct; such as slouching or facing the screen for hours on end.

Back pain can be slightly relieved by propping up the back of the body using a pillow. Also, give your body time to relax. For example, after working for 2 hours, try to stand up and walk for 5 minutes. Do not hold your body still sitting if the pain is very severe.

The accumulation of back pain or spinal pain, as well as stiffness in the muscles and joints from sitting for too long can cause chronic pain.

4. Rheumatism

Types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis are caused by thirsty joints due to the body rarely moving, one of which is when you sit for a long time and don’t change positions at all.

Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage between joints wears down and causes joint stiffness and discomfort. This condition is usually limited to certain areas of the body, such as the knees. People with osteoarthritis experience joint pain, especially after long periods of inactivity.

5. Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a series of medical conditions such as increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat and cholesterol.

This condition can occur if you are rarely physically active or maybe just sit all day because of work.

6. Impaired posture

The danger of sitting for too long in the wrong position will make it difficult for you to sit up straight, if allowed to continue this can cause posture disorders in the neck, back, to the hips.

Stiff shoulders and neck can also occur if you stare at a computer screen for too long. At its worst, spinal posture disorders such as lordosis, kyphosis, and scoliosis can occur.

5. Obesity

The danger of sitting for too long can cause periodic weight gain which triggers obesity. The risk will increase if you consume lots of snacks, fatty foods, soft drinks, fried foods and other unhealthy foods

6. Varicose veins

Varicose veins are a buildup of blood vessels that cause swollen veins in the legs. This condition makes the veins purplish in color and appear prominent.

This situation may occur due to sitting for too long because there is pressure on the feet. This pressure causes the veins in the legs to bulge or swell.

Please note, staying in the same sitting position for too long every day will interfere with blood circulation.

This position may allow blood to clot in the legs, causing blood clots, ankle swelling, varicose veins, or deep vein thrombosis.

7. Bones and Muscles Become Weak

Muscles can become stiff and weak when sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

As a result, muscle weakness will cause the legs to become weak or weak quickly, for example when walking, jumping or climbing stairs.

In addition, when you sit for too long your body replaces less of what it loses, leading to brittle bones and a higher risk of osteoporosis, especially as you age.

Doing weight-bearing exercises, including standing and walking, puts stress on the skeleton in a good way—because it signals specialized cells to replace old bone tissue with new one.

Tips to Prevent the Dangers of Sitting Too Long

In some cases, sitting too long because of the demands of work is unavoidable. The following are some ways you can do to prevent its adverse effects on health, including:

• Stretch several times every hour or when your back starts to hurt.
• Stand or walk every 30 minutes between activities.
• Use a comfortable chair.
• Position the work desk and sitting position with the appropriate distance, not too high or too low.
• Exercise at least 15 minutes a day.
• Increase your steps by walking or climbing stairs every day.

Now,, that’s the various dangers of sitting too long for health along with tips to prevent it. Hopefully this information is useful, Healthy Friends.

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