Why sitting down for long dey bad for your health – BBC News Pidgin

To sit down na something wey most pipo dey do well-well every day, for office, inside transport, or for house.

But some na sake of vascular dysfunction, to sit down one place for long time fit increase di risk of serious health conditions like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

For 1953, epidemiologist Jeremy Morris find out say London bus drivers dey more likely pass bus conductors to develop coronary heart disease.

Demographically (for age, sex and income range) di two groups of workers na di same, so why e be say we get dis significant difference?

Morris answer say: bus conductors work require dem to dey on dia feet and to dey climb di steps of London iconic double-decker buses regularly as dem sell tickets to passengers, whereas di drivers go sit down for long stretches of time.

Im ogbonge study do di groundwork for di research on di links between physical activity and coronary health.

Although London bus conductors work now no dey reign again like bifor, Morris results dey more relevant dan ever.

Since di Covid-19 pandemic, wey don see huge shift towards working from home, wey dey likely to increase our collective sitting time.

Without our usually waka to collect water from cooler and move from meeting room to anoda meeting room, e dey easy for pesin to spend hours to sitdon for im desk without standing up.

(Office culture, however, don already change our working lives sotay di 1980s dat some researchers bin joke say our species don become Homo sedens – e mean di “seated man” – rather dan Homo sapiens.)

Prolonged sitting is a form of sedentary behaviour, characterised by a highly reduced energy expenditure in a seated or reclined position.

Typical sedentary behaviours including television-watching, gaming, driving and desk-bound work.

Sedentary behaviours are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and premature mortality, and the time we spend sitting down in particular has been identified as an independent risk factor in a range of health conditions.

In 2020, the World Health Organization suggested measures to reduce sedentary behaviour.

To siddon for a long time na a form of sedentary behaviour, wey sabi pipo say dis dey signal a highly reduced energy expenditure for sitting or for reclined position.

Di typical sedentary behaviours including to watch television, gaming, driving and desk-bound work.

Sedentary behaviours dey associated wit a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and premature mortality, and di time wey we dey spend to sit down in particular sabi pipo identify am as an independent risk factor for a range of health conditions.

For 2020, World Health Organization bin suggest measures to reduce sedentary behaviour.

Since 2010, researchers dey keen to point out say sedentary behaviour na lack of physical activity. You fit dey exercise well-well every day, and still dey sit for too long.

However, di risks of sedentary behaviour dey more for those wey no dey exercise enough.

Di main koko be say sitting down for long dey increase vascular dysfunction, particularly for di legs.

According to sabi pipo, di vascular system dey responsible for keeping blood and lymph fluid – na dem dey form part of di immune system – wey dey move through di blood vessels.

David Dunstan, one physiologist for Deakin University Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, for Melbourne, Australia, bin extensively research di effects of prolonged sitting and possible interventions.

“Di major tin about sitting na reduction in muscular activity,” Dunstan tok. “If I dey sit on a chair, di chair dey take all di responsibility dia.”

Di combined effect of reduced muscular activity, lower metabolic demand and gravitational forces dey decrease blood flow to di leg muscles, dis fit lead to blood pooling for di calves.

Di biomechanics of sitting, wit di legs wey usually go dey bent, fit also reduce blood flow.

Researchers suggest say anybody wey sit for 120-180 minutes for one place no dey healthy.

Reduced muscular activity of di leg muscles dey reduces dia metabolic demand. Metabolic demand na di primary determinant of blood flow, so blood flow for di legs go also dey reduced. The biomechanics of sitting, wey pesin go bend im legs fit cause blood pool for di calves – one study of 21 young healthy volunteers see as dia calves increase in circumference by nearly 1cm (0.4in) ova di course of two hours. Dis fit also reduce blood flow.

Normal blood flow dey provide friction, wey dey known as arterial shear stress, against di endothelial cells wey dey line di walls of blood vessels. Di endothelium dey responds to dis force and e dey secretes vasodilators, like adenosine, prostacyclin and nitric oxide, na dem dey keep di vessels sufficiently dilated and dey maintain di ability of the vascular system to regulate itself – wey many know as homeostasis.

Reduced blood flow, however, dey reduce shear stress, and di endothelium dey produce vasoconstrictors like endothelin-1 wey dey cause di blood vessels to narrow. For vicious cycle, vasoconstriction dey further reduce blood flow, and blood pressure rise to keep di blood moving. High blood pressure, or hypertension, na one of di predominant risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

“Dat [vascular dysfunction] na one of di potential mechanisms,” Dunstan add. “But di truth be say we neva fit pinpoint di exact mechanisms, and di possibility say e fit be multiple dey too.

Although di underlying mechanisms dey hypothetical, recent studies support di theory. One study wit 16 young, healthy men find out say to sit down for three-hour periods dey increase blood pooling for di legs, peripheral vascular resistance, diastolic blood pressure and leg circumference. Another study find out say blood pressure dey increase wit time spent sitting uninterrupted. Researchers generally agree that 120-180 minutes of uninterrupted sitting na probably di threshold wey be say you probably don spend too long for one sitting position, but vascular dysfunction generally increases wit di time pesin go spend sitting.

Sitting for a long period afta you chop high-fat meal dey harmful.

Also di muscular skeletal system dey likely to dey affected. To sit for long dey contribute to reduced muscle strength, lower bone density and increased total and visceral fat for adipose tissue.

Additionally, prolonged sitting dey associated wit physical discomfort, stress for work and higher depression, wey fit even lead to pressure ulcers.

Dunstan, wey also specialise in researching type 2 diabetes, also say sedentary behaviour increase afta meal, or post-prandial, to make blood glucose and insulin to rise. Impaired insulin sensitivity and impaired vascular function, both of dem dey contribute to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Pipo dey become more sedentary becos na wetin society dey encourage. As tins dey more efficient, we no need to move around so much – Benjamin Gardner

Wit all of dis well-known potential consequences, why e be say we still dey sit for so long – and how we fit break di habit?

“I feel say pipo don become more sedentary becos na wetin society dey encourage,” e tok .

Benjamin Gardner, one social psychologist wey specialise for all di habitual behaviour for University of Surrey, wey don dey research why pipo dey dey sit for so long say; “No be say anybody dey deliberately push am . Na just say tins now dey more efficient, we no need to move around so much.”

For 2018, Gardner and colleagues find out say to encourage pipo to stand up for meetings bin present unique social obstacles.

“We dey encourage pipo to try dis [standing up] for three different meetings, and we interviewe dem afta each one to find out how dem dey do, and di findings shock us,” Gardner tok. “for one formal meeting, those pipo feel say e dey one kind to sand.”

Just getting up often to go for a light walk or climbing some stairs also dey beneficial.

Wearable technology fit also help remind us to move. For one promising new study, wearable devices wey dem call accelerometers go provide 24-hour data on individual behaviour patterns including sitting, standing, sleeping and exercising.

As Dunstan bin point out earlier, dis potentially go allow for tailored optimal sitting and standing times, di devices go dey send automatic reminders whenever you sit for too long.

However, di use of technology no dey without im drawbacks, as some pipo fit dey frustrated by am or no send di messages dem.

Above all, Gardner and colleagues encourage moving between sitting and standing positions more frequently.

Di premise of breaking up sedentary time by just standing up dey simple, but e get significant health benefits, particularly for low-activity individuals.

For wheelchair users or oda wit mobility constraints, specific, adapted exercises fit help dem.

For many, sedentary behaviour fit dey hard to avoid sake of modern life and work. But even small changes to your routine – weda na stretching more, fidgeting or standing up to make a cup of tea – fit help break your sitting habit.