Nowadays, we do a lot of sitting.  Many people work from home where they sit on their couch or at their desks for 6 or so hours at a time.  Some go into the office, but even in that setting people work while seated at their desks for several hours.  Why is this an issue?  According to Mayo Clinic, sitting for long periods of time has been linked to conditions like high blood pressure, increased blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol levels, obesity, and other health concerns.  In addition to these concerns, it has been found that long durations of sitting can cause back issues. 

When considering how the body functions, the strength that we need for optimal performance is diminished with sitting. The abdominal muscles are weakened and gluteal muscles are inactivated.  This subsequently leads to poor pelvic alignment and is accompanied by lower back pain, tight pelvic and thigh muscles, and a poor posture.  Sitting at a desk (or couch) while working on a computer encourages the head and neck to jut forward leading to strain on the cervical vertebrae.  Additionally, the sitting for these prolonged periods of time put an immense amount of pressure on both spinal discs and back muscles.  However, these spine-related problems are not the only issues as mentioned previously— there are a lot of health concerns that are linked to sitting.  

Another major concern with sitting for prolonged periods of time is high blood pressure.  When considering stress on the body, we look to the nervous system to dictate how our bodies behave.  When under stress, our sympathetic nervous system is activated that engages our fight or flight responses to survive.  This involves vasoconstriction of small arteries, which in turn increases our blood pressure.  Given that today we are under a consistent amount of stress with taxes, work, traffic, and our children’s soccer games, we are already subject to high blood pressure as is.  That said, sitting for prolonged periods of time in addition to our modern day stressors is detrimental to a healthy blood pressure and is ultimately not conducive for heart health.  Elevated cholesterol and cardiovascular disease have also been linked with sitting as the high cholesterol levels block blood flow through the arteries.  Mayo Clinic posted an answer to the question, “What are the risks of sitting too much” where they discuss some of these topics as well.  The link for that Q&A is posted here: 

What the risks of sitting too much? Expert Answers: Answer From Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.. 

On top of all these issues, we also have to consider the detriments that sitting and restricted blood flow have to your brain structures.  The brain needs circulating blood to supply it with oxygen and glucose.  This allows the brain structures to function appropriately as the brain requires a lot of energy to maintain its efficacy with fast metabolism.  Without this nutrients, the physical structures can decline in function and in size.  A UCLA study has discovered that among 35 adults between ages 45-75 without dementia, those who spent more time sitting had greater volume of thinning in their medial temporal lobe.  This study is linked here:

UCLA Study- Researchers link sedentary behavior to thinning in brain region critical for memory

This is in addition to a body of studies that contain evidence suggesting that sitting can increase risk of heart-related diseases. 

If it’s not completely obvious already, we advise everyone to not sit for such long periods of time.  Get up.  Take a walk. Go outside and breathe in some fresh air.  Nowadays, our society and culture is built on work and taking care of one’s body comes second.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Take care of yourself!  

For more interesting blog posts and discussions, check out our website at www.sanjacchiro.com or you can come to our office and ask our chiropractor in person!