You may get premature degeneration of your back
When the spinal disks of your spine start to wear down it can lead to severe back and neck pain. usually, this happens after 40 but recently, there’s been more cases in younger people. This premature degeneration can be caused by several things but research has shown one of the factors to be sitting in one spot for too long.
It causes neck tension
Neck strain can be caused by a variety of things, but it’s especially common for office workers or those who use devices all day. It’s often to do with bad posture and being hunched over a computer. When you strain your neck, it will get tense and tight and often cause pain even after you’re done for the day.
It can actually lead to exhaustion
When you sit in one position for too long, your body equates that experience to going to sleep. So that stillness can make you feel exhausted. Combine this with the effects of staring at a screen or device for hours which can make you blink less frequently and thus lead to dry eyes, it’s no wonder that it’s a recipe for tiredness.
You’re likely to develop knee pain
You might associate knee pain with athletes but actually, sitting for too long can cause knee problems too. Medical professionals suggest that sitting for more than six hours a day can cause muscles and tendons to stiffen and that can lead to pain. More ergonomic sitting positions can be learned as well as standing up and stretching every 30 to 60 minutes.
Your hips might weaken
Sitting for too long can be a very dangerous way to spend your time, affecting your internal organs, your health, your muscles, and your skeletal system. Your hips are crucial to all of this because as soon as they start to be affected, the rest of your lower body may struggle as a consequence. Sitting down for so long is unnatural and thus can weaken your muscles.
Your neck and shoulders will be stiff
Much as spending too much time sat down impacts the lower back and hips, it will also impact the upper back, neck, and shoulders – and if all those areas are aching at the same time, you’re likely to end up with serious mobility problems. Neck and shoulder pain is a particular issue for those who spend extended periods slouched in front of a screen.
Sitting too much can lead to sciatica developing
Sciatica is a very common symptom in which you can experience pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness in the leg, often caused by an injury to the sciatic nerve. The pressure placed on this nerve by sitting for extended periods can also trigger all of these sensations, meaning if you’re looking to avoid it then you might want to hop off the couch.
Rheumatic disorders are more likely to develop
Your chances to develop rheumatic disorders increase when you spend a lot of time sitting every day. This is an umbrella category that covers arthritis and other conditions that affect the bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles. Excessive sitting in positions your body is not intended to can cause wear and tear to the joints leading to arthritis.
It can give you a foggy brain
Brain fog is a killer when it comes to productivity and a lot can cause it: gluten intolerance, depression, and yes, even sitting for too long! When you sit all day it can stop proper blood and oxygen flow to the brain which makes thinking harder and lead to confusion. With the same effects as sleep deprivation, brain fog is not something you want.
Sitting too long may lead to deep vein thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that develops usually in a vein in the leg that can cause pain, swelling, tenderness, and warm, red skin. It needs to receive medical attention ASAP when it develops as it can dislodge and end up in your lung. Standing and walking can help avoid the development of this issue.
You’re at risk of a heart attack
One study suggests that people who sit for ten or more hours a day are at greater risk of suffering from a heart attack. So if you’re spending your nine-to-five sitting at a desk and then lounging in front of the TV for the rest of the night, you might want to think about changing your habits. One in every five deaths in 2021 in the US was a result of a heart attack.
Your feet may flatten
Flat feet are super common, but they can lead to overpronation which can cause ankle pain. So if you want to stop your arches from falling then you may wish to think about your daily activity. Sitting for too long affects the hips; as soon as your hips weaken, your legs may collapse inwards, causing pressure on your knees which leads to your feet flattening.
You could get varicose veins
While varicose veins do not necessarily represent a health risk, most of us would rather not get them; they’re generally considered unattractive, and associated with old age. Varicose veins are most common in the over-50s, but they can appear sooner – particularly if you spend too much time sitting still. They develop as blood pools in the legs, which can happen if you’re not moving enough.
Your cholesterol may increase
In 2022 The Heart Foundation released a study that claimed that sitting for too long can be a contributing risk factor for developing high cholesterol. Not just that either, but sitting for too long actually prevents your body from creating enough good cholesterol which absorbs bad cholesterol and carries it to the liver, helping to keep your body healthy.
You have a greater chance of blood clots
A study from the British Medical Journal reported that women who sat for more than forty hours a week (40 being the usual hours for a full-time job, so equivalent to what you would be sitting while at your office all day) had more than double the risk of a blood clot traveling to their lungs than those who sat less than ten hours a week.
Your risk of heart disease and stroke is increased
Cardiovascular diseases remain the biggest cause of death worldwide, and those who live sedentary lifestyles are at considerably greater risk of developing such a condition. According to research by Johns Hopkins cardiologist Erin Michos, people who spend ten hours or more a day sitting are at greater risk of heart trouble, even if they’re still getting the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week.
It may lead to osteoporosis
When you think of osteoporosis you might think of OAPs or eating disorder sufferers. Essentially, it’s considered a condition of those who don’t fuel their body properly or get active. But those who work a desk job are at risk of getting the condition that makes their bones more fragile and likely to break.
The muscles of your legs and glutes will weaken
Muscle atrophy is the deterioration of muscle tissue, which can occur for a variety of medical reasons, but most commonly when the muscles in question are not used enough. It should go without saying, then, that the more time you spend sitting, the weaker your legs and glutes are likely to be. Without those key muscle groups providing stability, you’re at greater risk of injury.
You’re more likely to put on weight
We’re all well aware that to lose weight we need to exercise, so it’s only common sense that we’re more likely to gain weight if we’re sitting all the time. If you’re not exercising, your body’s fat reserves will build and your metabolism will slow down, meaning you don’t burn that fat as easily. This risk is increased if you’re not eating well.
You’re at greater risk of diabetes
Much as sitting for extended periods can lead to a slower metabolism, it can also lead to increased resistance to insulin, meaning you could wind up with type 2 diabetes. According to one study, test subjects who were ordered to take just five days of bed rest wound up with higher insulin resistance than before.
There’s an increased threat of cancer
If there’s one word we never want to hear from a doctor, it’s cancer. Despite years of research, the causes of this devastating, often fatal disease remain unclear, but some studies have indicated that people who sit too long are at increased risk of lung, uterine, and colon cancer. Further research is required on this to fully explain why.
There’s a related higher chance of breast cancer
A 2022 study involving the genes of thousands of women has found that reducing sedentary time can lower the incidence of further breast cancer risks. This means that standing more and moving, rather than sitting in one place all day can ensure that you’re less likely to develop breast cancer as you age.
You’re at risk of metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of five risk factors that include high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess fat around the waist, high triglyceride levels, and low levels of good cholesterol. These risk factors make it more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, or stroke, meaning metabolic syndrome is not something to be joked about.
It can lead to trapezius muscle strains
The kind of bad posture that’s associated with being sat down all day can make cause your neck to arch up a bit, increasing the curvature of it, and therefore putting strain on the trapezius muscle. This large superficial muscle helps you hold your neck, head, shoulders, and arms in place, and strain on it can lead to knots and pain.
Too much sitting can lead to back pain
One of the most common complaints of those who live sedentary lifestyles is back trouble. Too much time sitting down results in your hip flexors contracting, which in turn places a strain on the lower back and the discs in your spine. If you’re not getting up and moving around often enough, you’ll have aches and pains at best, or serious back problems at worst.
Lack of focus is also likely to increase
This is an especially important thing to consider if you’re sitting all day to work, but stillness can increase a lack of focus. Research has proven that sitting too long reduces concentration gradient. Getting up, changing tasks, taking a walk around, and allowing your eyes to focus on new things will all help you complete tasks in the long run.
You have an increased risk of obesity
Gaining weight from sitting too long and not moving makes sense to most people. But even with exercise included and a healthy diet, remaining sedentary will increase obesity. This obesity that one out of three US citizens suffer from is incredibly dangerous and can even lead to death. When your muscles aren’t used your body doesn’t effectively burn calories.
Sitting all day causes bad posture
This one might be very obvious, but sitting down all day, whether it’s at your desk at work or hunching over on your sofa doing crafts/watching Netlifx is going to affect your posture. You naturally bend or slouch which will then transform into your posture when you walk. Getting better chairs and equipment can help this but it’s also worth standing up.
Loneliness can worsen
Another consequence of sitting indoors for an extended time is an increase in loneliness. Researchers are saying that the West is currently facing a loneliness epidemic, and some believe that sitting indoors and having less social interaction (due to working at home or using too much technology) is further contributing to this.
Sitting too much can cause chronic pain
Sitting too much can lead to somatic pains like cramping in your lower back or sharp pelvic pain. These somatic pains can eventually develop into chronic pain, or even be indications of ongoing conditions. Many chronic pain conditions can never be cured and can simply be managed with medication, meaning it’s better to halt their progression.
Sitting too much had been proven to lead to a larger waistline
Even more dangerous in certain cases than being clinically obese is the risk of carrying too much fat around your torso. Excess belly fat is a really worrisome condition as it suggests that there is a lot of fat surrounding your internal organs which can lead to serious issues, as well as being an indication of heart disease, diabetes, and more.
It can lead to a vitamin D deficiency
Usually when people are sitting for a long period, they’re inside. Unless you’re a fan of working your nine to five from the park then it’s likely you’re not getting a whole lot of sunlight. Lack of sunlight leads to vitamin D deficiency which is extremely common but sadly causes bone loss, depression, fatigue, hair loss, lack of appetite, and even more undesirable symptoms.
You may experience inflammation
Studies have shown that sitting for prolonged periods can affect three specific biomarkers: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (otherwise known as hsCRP) measures levels of inflammation and it’s often found to be raised in those who spend a lot of time sitting down.
It has been linked with decreased social skills
It may not be an obvious consequence of sitting too much but there’s evidence that sitting too many hours a week can be linked with decreased social skills. Oftentimes those who are sitting for extended periods of time and working or socializing on their computer, suffer from decreased social involvement or communication skills in person.
It’s bad for your memory
People who work at a desk are often expected to have their heads down and work non-stop for hours on end. However, spending extended periods sitting can prove detrimental to your mental faculties. One study has suggested that prolonged sitting can lead to a thinning of the temporal lobe, which can result in significant memory problems.
Depression and anxiety are likely to increase
Prolonged sitting can also have a terrible impact on our mental health and emotional well-being. This is another area in need of further research, but the simplest explanation would seem to be that exercising energizes the whole body and brain, whilst remaining sedentary has the opposite effect, leaving us feeling sluggish, lifeless, and more susceptible to stress, anxiety, and depression.
It makes dementia more likely
No one factor leads to dementia but recent research has suggested that there’s one modifiable factor that contributes to the development of dementia. Those who sit for extended periods have a much thinner medial temporal lobe, resembling that of those with dementia.
It can reverse work in the gym
While you can pack your evenings on the treadmill or pick up an extra class or two, it’s basically impossible to reverse the negative effects of sitting down for too long. It’s a much better idea to tackle the actual issue by changing your daily routine than trying to fight against it at the gym.
It can actually cause brain damage
As well as causing brain fog and fatigue, there are other ways that sitting for extended periods of time can affect your mind. Sitting restricts the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain, slowing your brain function. When your brain doesn’t get enough glucose energy over time the brain cells can also become damaged – not an ideal situation.
It can shorten your life
Whether you’ve been adding acai berries and avocados to your diet, or hitting a spin class every weekend, when you’re sitting for the majority of your day research suggests that your life will be shortened. Extended periods of sitting can affect your mortality. Getting up through the day or working from a standing desk could add precious years to your life.
