Standing Desks Aren’t Just Useless—They Might Also Be Bad for Your Health

The planetary marketplace for lasting desks is booming, projected to scope US$12.6 cardinal by 2032. These desks person been hailed arsenic a elemental hole for the wellness risks associated with sitting each day. However, caller probe suggests that lasting mightiness not beryllium the wellness booster galore hoped for.

A new study from Australia involving implicit 83,000 participants recovered that prolonged lasting whitethorn not amended bosom wellness and could adjacent summation the hazard of definite circulatory problems.

Researchers discovered that lasting for extended periods did not trim the hazard of bosom illness and stroke. In fact, spending excessively overmuch clip either sitting oregon lasting was linked to a higher hazard of problems specified arsenic varicose veins and feeling dizzy oregon lightheaded erstwhile you basal up.

The operation “sitting is the caller smoking” has become popular successful the past decade, highlighting the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. Prolonged sitting has been associated with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In response, lasting desks emerged arsenic a trendy solution, offering a way to trim sitting clip without drastically changing regular routines.

But was determination coagulated grounds to enactment the benefits of lasting desks? Much of the enthusiasm was based connected constricted studies that didn’t comprehensively measure semipermanent wellness consequences. This spread successful cognition prompted researchers to analyse further.

In the caller study, participants wore devices to way their sitting, lasting and carnal enactment implicit respective years. This nonsubjective measurement provided close data, reducing the inaccuracies often recovered successful self-reported information. The researchers recovered that sitting for much than 10 hours a time was associated with a higher hazard of bosom illness and stroke.

However, simply lasting much didn’t mitigate this risk. In fact, lasting for extended periods was linked to an accrued hazard of circulatory problems. Prolonged lasting tin origin humor to excavation successful the legs, starring to conditions specified arsenic varicose veins.

The study’s ample illustration size and usage of nonsubjective information fortify the reliability of these findings. However, arsenic an observational study, it cannot definitively found origin and effect. Also, the mean property of participants was astir 61 years, which whitethorn bounds however these results use to younger people.

Movement is key

These findings suggest that simply swapping sitting for lasting isn’t a cleanable solution. Our bodies respond amended to regular question alternatively than static positions, whether that’s sitting oregon standing. Incorporating abbreviated walks, stretching oregon airy exercises passim the time tin interrupt agelong periods of inactivity and connection significant wellness benefits.

Workplace interventions promoting question person shown promise. Researchers recovered that bureau workers who reduced their sitting clip by adding periods of standing and airy activity saw improvements successful humor sweetener levels and different wellness markers. Another survey indicated that alternating betwixt sitting and standing, combined with little walks, was more effectual for health than lasting alone.

Sit-stand desks, designed to facilitate casual presumption changes, connection a promising solution. They beforehand frequent posture changes and tin alleviate discomfort associated with prolonged static positions. Some models adjacent diagnostic reminders to promote regular movement, integrating enactment into the workday.

Getting much carnal enactment into our lives doesn’t person to beryllium complex. Simple actions specified arsenic taking the stairs, walking to a workfellow alternatively of emailing, oregon lasting during telephone calls tin each contribute. Setting a timer to punctual you to determination each 30 minutes tin assistance interruption up agelong periods of sitting oregon standing, empowering you to instrumentality power of your health.

Movement is key. Standing each time isn’t needfully amended than sitting—both person drawbacks erstwhile overdone. By focusing connected regular carnal enactment and varying our positions, we tin amended code the wellness challenges posed by sedentary lifestyles. Small changes, specified arsenic taking abbreviated progressive breaks oregon incorporating stretching exercises, tin marque a significant difference.

Ultimately, portion lasting desks connection an alternate to prolonged sitting, they shouldn’t beryllium seen arsenic a implicit solution. Embracing a much progressive lifestyle, some successful and retired of the office, is apt to output the top wellness benefits. It’s not conscionable astir lasting oregon sitting; it’s astir moving much and sitting less.

Jack McNamara is a elder lecturer successful objective workout physiology astatine the University of East London. This nonfiction is republished from The Conversation nether a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.