Long sitting hours as bad as smoking
Your desk job may be killing you !
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-06 19:27 GMT
Mumbai: Are you a non-smoking workaholic who sits over the computer for hours, for the best employee review? Experts now describe sitting as the “new-smoking”, a ticking time bomb of ill health just waiting to explode.
Leading a sedentary lifestyle is as serious as smoking and we may end up paying for it. “Prolonged sitting is as dangerous as smoking; the calf muscles known as the “peripheral heart”, pumps the deoxygenated blood back to the heart against gravity and sitting in the same position for long hours has grievous health impacts on a person,” says HOSMAT Hospital vice-president Dr Ajith Benedict Rayan.
The World Health Organisation has listed physical inactivity, as the fourth biggest killer on the planet, ahead of obesity. “Sitting is an underrated health threat of modern times. As far as the lower back is concerned, it is the worst posture to adopt. Even sitting on ergonomically designed chairs for long hours can cause damage to the spine,” says Dr Arvind Bhateja, Consultant, Neuro and Spine surgeon, Sita Bhateja Speciality hospital. Prolonged periods of inactivity increase the risk of obesity and cause a staggering list of other health conditions too. These include heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, back and muscular issues, deep vein thrombosis, brittle bones, depression and even dementia.
“There is a lot of strain put on the body when a person sits in the same posture for many hours. This leads to damage in the lower back. There are many incidences of disc diseases too,” says Dr. Arvind. “Prolonged sitting is not advisable and patients are advised to walk as often as possible,” adds Dr Ajith.