Sitting isn’t inherently bad for health but the length of time in one posture could leave you with ailments that can be life-threatening. Doctors state that even as energy consumption of the body is very minimal in the sitting and sleeping posture, prolonged sitting has been linked to many acute and chronic health-related problems. In the current period of Covid-19 pandemic and its related lockdown status which has ensured that all of us stay at home and away from our routine work, this is definitely leading us to spend most of our time sitting in one place either for work or while watching TV.
The well-established link between prolonged sitting and chronic health-related problems are increased blood sugar, increased blood pressure, increased body fat around the waist (cholesterol) content. There is a syndrome called metabolic syndrome which contains all these three together. This complex health-related issue leads to many life-threatening diseases related to cardiovascular system and cancer. When it comes to acute problems related to prolonged sitting, formation of a blood clot in the legs known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), is a possible serious clinical condition.
There are certain risk factors that make the development of DVT more prone, these are if the person is overweight/obese, on certain medications like oral contraceptive pills, if the person is pregnant or has recently undergone any major orthopaedic surgeries.
One most common risk factor which contributes majorly to DVT is smoking tobacco. Those who already have any of the above risks and also choose to sit for long hours without any physical activity will have increased stasis of blood in the blood vessel. This, along with pre-existing risk factors for increased blood clotting ability in the body and injury to the inner aspect of the blood vessel, forms a triad called Virchow’s triad. This triad is the base to developing blood clot (thrombus) inside the blood vessel leading to DVT.
Bane of DVT
The worst fate of DVT from the lower or upper limbs is that it can get dislodged from the extremities and can get lodged in the outlet of the right side of the heart leading to a life-threatening event called pulmonary thromboembolism (PE). Once PE occurs and it blocks more than 50% of the outflow from the right side of the heart, it leads to a sudden onset of breathing difficulties, an increase in heart rate, a decrease in blood pressure and can cause sudden cardiac arrest and death. Other minor immediate problems of prolonged sitting in the locked-in period are that it can lead to compression of the nerve at the pressure points, swelling of lower extremities particularly in patients with heart or kidney disease.
Many scientific studies suggest that prolonged sitting in a place for more than eight hours is equal to smoking and being obese. This effect can be nullified if the person performs moderate to intense exercise for at least 45 minutes to an hour.
Make it a practice to stand whenever you get a chance in between your work from home option as a result of the lockdown. Following are some healthy tips to practice and break the monotony of prolonged sitting: At least break the prolonged sitting once in 30 to 45 minutes. Consider standing when having a conversation with someone or while talking over the phone. Use a standing desk to keep the desktop or laptop if you are working from home.
(The author is consultant, critical care medicine, Mazumdar Shaw
Medical Centre, Narayana Health City, Bengaluru)