It seems the world is finally coming to terms with the fact that humans evolved to stand, not to sit — well, health researchers, savvy office workers and many commuters, at least.
Picture: jsmjr
The evidence is mounting to show that spending too much sitting at work, during your commute and for leisure increases your risk of diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and early death.
This isn’t a new revelation. Bernardino Ramazzini first described the ill effects of too much sitting at work in the 1700s and advised people to break up sitting and stimulate blood flow.
But technological advances and ergonomic experts have made sitting more comfortable and more enticing. Australian adults now sit for an average of nearly nine hours a day. This is longer than the time that most people spend sleeping.
So, is it time to buy a standing desk? Let’s examine the evidence.
Many people know when they’ve been sitting too long because their back or neck gets sore. These are effects many can relate to because we can actually feel them.
But it’s what you can’t feel or see that you may need to be concerned about. Canadian researcher Dr Peter Katzmarzyk, for instance, found that those who sat almost all of the time had nearly a one-third higher risk of early death than those who stood almost all of the time.
University College London researcher Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis found similar results among women in the United Kingdom: those whose work involved mostly standing/walking about had a 32% lower risk of early death than those who worked in sitting jobs.
For the average adult, standing burns more calories and involves more muscular contraction than sitting. One study reported 2.5 times higher average muscular activity of the thigh when standing compared to sitting. This is important for improving blood sugar profiles and vascular health, reducing the risk of early death.
But it’s important to note prolonged standing can also have adverse health effects. Compared to sitting, when we stand, our hearts and circulatory systems work harder to maintain blood flow to the brain, because they are countering the effects of gravity. Standing still for long periods of time can lead to swelling, heaviness or cramping of the legs.
Enforced standing has actually been used as an interrogation technique (though former US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld couldn’t understand why it was only for four hours — he stood for eight to ten hours a day).
If standing still for too long is potentially risky, what should you do?
To obtain the health benefits of standing and reduce the potential adverse effects, the best option is to alternate between sitting and standing. Our message is to stand up, sit less and move more.
Alternating between sitting and standing will increase muscular contractions, stimulating blood flow and resulting in more calories burnt and healthier blood sugar levels. Recent findings from our lab show that alternating between 30 minutes of sitting and standing can improve blood sugar levels after a meal.
Now, if you’re leaning towards getting a standing desk but are concerned about your concentration and productivity, there’s some good news. Research shows task performance such as typing, reading and performing cognitive tests is largely unaffected by standing desks.
Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway fought off the urge to sit with the aid of standing desks. It might be time for you to do the same, and alternate between sitting and standing.
If you’re still not ready for a stand-up desk, these tips might help get you moving:
- take regular breaks during long drives in the car
- stand up on public transport
- choose more active ways to hang out with friends (swap the cafe for a walk)
- stand at the bar instead of sitting on the comfy couches
- have standing meetings (they usually end faster)
- stand up while on the phone.
Bethany Howard is a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant, Physical Activity Laboratory at Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute. Neville Owen is Program Head: Behavioural and Generational Change; Head, Behavioural Epidemiology Laboratory at Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute.. Bethany Howard receives funding from the NHMRC and the Heart Foundation. Neville Owen receives funding from the NHMRC.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Comments
6 responses to “The Health Benefits Of Standing Versus Sitting”
I love it when this subject so regularly comes up… As an advocate for standing desks for several years now it always annoys me to see the obligatory picture of an individual standing at a desk the wrong way..! The dudes head has to look down at the monitor and his arms are at an acute angle to the keyboard. If your going to show an image, at least get the stance right..! Raise the keyboard, and the monitor so that the head looks straight out at 90 degrees and the arms are level with the keyboard, Please..!! This guy is going to have other issues the way he is standing…
im curious – does kneeling provide the same benefits of standing for those of use without access to a standing desk?
Thats a very tall monitor stand. I have an adjustable desk, however even with higher desk, monitors are still too low. Need a 3 monitor stand that would adjust high enough, but none do (that I’ve seen). Perhaps 3 individual stands might be the way to go
Latest research that I read recently on standing desks suggests that they are not good for you after all. Too much stress on the back, I think. The key is to move around – a lot. Get up, walk around, and stretch.
Yeah, standing for long periods of time isn’t good for you either. Not just for your back but also for your feet, ankles, knees and legs. Lying down for long periods of time isn’t good for you either.
It’s all about moderation.
Ideally I suppose you’d want a desk that can be raised and lowered so you can spend a portion of your day standing up and a portion sitting down, but those are expensive and your employer may not be able to afford it. So just make sure you get up and walk around every so often.
Try the VariDesk Pro. It’s a desktop unit that can be used in the standing or sitting position and it won’t break the bank. I personally use a Workrite desk that runs at least $2k, but these are much more affordable and those in our office that have them have rated them a 10 out of 10.
If I worked from home I would have a standing desk as I could move around and do other stuff easily. A bit hard at the office, certainly not going to go buy and create my own standing desk for the work place, not to mention it would be against compliance. :/ But yeah, 8 hours a day sitting at the desk it a bitch too. [monitors in general need to have higher elevation, my monitors at work are at their highest, my chair is at its lowest and I still have to look down]
Sitting for long periods have proven to have detrimental effects on the body, and this is not exactly new knowledge. This is why so many people have now switched to using stand up desks, and these products are widely sold in the market in various styles and price tags. If you are just starting out and want something that’s simple and does what it I supposed to do (which is letting you work standing up), try getting something like the http://tinyurl.com/p5jovp9.
Oh, not this “standing desk” nonsense again, please. At my last employer we had a guy who insisted on doing this and forced the organisation to buy special equipment for his workstation. Bloody silly. Sit down.
Sitting for long periods have proven to have detrimental effects on the body, this is why so many people have now switched to using stand up desks. Office workers would love to have one of the standing chairs. But I don’t think this picture correctly shows the right standing-sitting position. In the picture, the guys has to look down to the screen which will cause neck pain and the hight of keyboard should be raised.