Could Sitting Down Too Much Kill You?

Could Sitting Down Too Much Kill You?

by

smithsryan

The hazards of sitting all day long-whether you\’re staring at a computer screen at work or watching TV on the couch at home-are better understood now than ever. In recent years, researchers have linked too much sitting to back pain, repetitive stress injuries, obesity, and even an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. So what\’s a desk jockey to do? If quitting your job and applying to become a park ranger isn\’t in the cards, there are a number of other steps you can take to stay healthy at work. For instance, you could improve your workspace ergonomics, swap your office chair for an exercise ball, or ask your employer for a treadmill desk (really).

The results of a recent study showed that women who were found to be leading a sedentary type of life and were thus least likely to lose weight, sitting for more than 10 hours each day either at work or a home. Obesity, per se, did not directly result in an increased risk for developing a pulmonary embolism, but coupling obesity with sitting for extended periods of time increased the chances for this cardiovascular event. For female nurses with obesity or attempting to lose weight and were moving most of the time at work or at home, no significant association was observed with the occurrence of a pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has traveled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus (blood clot) from the deep veins in the legs, a process termedvenous thromboembolism. A small proportion is due to the embolization of air, fat, talc in drugs of intravenous drug abusers or amniotic fluid. The obstruction of the blood flow through the lungs and the resultant pressure on the right ventricle of the heart leads to the symptoms and signs of PE. The risk of PE is increased in various situations, such as cancer or prolonged bed rest.

Another interesting result observed by the recent study was that age did not influence the risk for developing a pulmonary embolism during extended periods of sitting. It has been a common notion that good health is usually observed among younger individuals and as a person gets older, one s good health deteriorates. The study showed that a pulmonary embolism might develop at any age by simply coupling of two conditions, namely obesity and sitting for long periods of time. It is thus important to take breaks at work and possibly walk around the workplace in order to maintain blood circulation, especially in the legs, and to possibly lose weight, thus maintaining good health. The best recommendation for prevention of a pulmonary embolism would still be to conquer obesity and to

lose weight

, thus ultimately achieving good health.

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Article Source:

ArticleRich.com