The Hidden Dangers when we sit Too Long (and How to Fix It)

Sitting for long hours might not look harmful at beginning. We sit down while working, when we are watching TV, going through our phones, probably while traveling. But later, this habit becomes very bad and dangerous to our health. Our system is designed to frequently move, not to remain in one position for long time. When we sit too long, we slow down the speed of many important functions in our body, most especially blood circulation and also metabolism. This can easily cause serious health problems like obesity, severe heart disease, and also diabetes. In fact, health experts always say, "Sitting is a new smoking" because of how bad it could be to our health when done excessive.

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Sitting for longer periods of time may affect our posture and slow down our muscles. Especially, those people who work at desks or with computers often see themselves slouching or over bending forward. Over time, this may lead to back pain, serious neck pain, and also poor spine alignment. When bad posture becomes a normal habit, the harder it becomes to correct. The body begins to lose flexibility, and our body may start feeling stiff and uncomfortable. Because the joints were not properly used, then muscles in our legs and hips gradually get weak due to lack of use. This can make normal movement hard as we grow older, which may even cause to serious injuries.

The effect of longer sitting is not just physical. It also affects our mental health as a human. When sitting for too long without moving, our brain will not get enough fresh bloods and oxygen. This can make our body feel tired, sleepy, and also depressed. We lose energy, feel lazy, and become less productive. Especially during work, most people experience this slow energy state because they do not go for breaks during working hour. Sitting in front of a screen for longer hours without going for breaks could also affect our eyes, leading to dryness and serious headaches. So sitting doesn't only harm our body, but it also brings down our mental strength and health.

Heart disease is said to be the most serious consequences of long sitting. When we sit for longer hours, our blood flow reduces and fats begins to build up in our blood vessels. Which increases the risk of having heart attacks and also strokes. People who sits for over 6-8 hours everyday without much physical exercise have a higher risk of heart problems. The risk increase more when the person also have other habits probably eating junk food or not exercising at all. Sitting down for long also increases the possibility of high blood pressure and weights gain, both of them are connected to heart problems. That is why regular movement is very good.

The best method to correct this problem, when you work in office where you sit for the whole day. Always try to get up every 2 hours for just 20 minutes or even do a short physical exercise. People who works in offices can use their desks or take short breaks to walk around. At home, you can stand when talking on the phone or watching a movie. Walking around after meals is also a good habit. These little things can help to increase the rate of blood flow, giving the muscles more strength and also makes our mind more active. Exercise regularly, even though is 20 to 30 mins which have long way to help strengthen our muscles.

Sitting one place for long time can seriously cause harm to our body, by slowing down how we think and it can also affect our posture. We can correct it by doing some exercise. We do not need to change everything at once. Just a little changes, like standing longer and sitting less, can help us stay healthier and more active in life. We have to reduce long sitting and enjoy a stronger body and a happier mind.

Here is the list of 6 active and real reference links on the dangers of sitting too long: