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Mr. Li: I am a programmer, my daily job is to sit and write code on the computer, often sit all day, often have to work overtime at night, rarely have time to exercise, often order takeout at dinner, recently I feel a little pain in my waist, soreness, and sometimes I feel a little chest tightness, is this related to long-term sedentary?
Doctor: Yes, your condition is related to long-term sedentary life. Long-term sitting will lead to lumbar spondylosis, cervical spondylosis, etc., and will also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is a common "pain" for office workers.
What is sedentary behavior
Sedentary behaviour refers to all behaviors in a sitting, reclining or lying position in the waking state with energy expenditure ≤ 1.5 METs. MET stands for metabolic equivalent, which is a ratio of energy expended, 1MET is the energy consumed by 3.5ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, which is roughly equivalent to the consumption of a person when sitting quietly.
Sedentary behaviour is prevalent among modern populations and includes sitting in an occupational setting (increasingly based on computer-based work), sitting at home watching TV, using computers and playing video games, and sitting in a car or sitting on a bus.
Which occupations are more sedentary?
Long-term sedentary people refer to those who need to sit a lot to work, face the computer for a long time, drive for a long time, and they are characterized by sitting at least 5 days a week, so they are called sedentary people, the most common are IT practitioners, accountants, editors, teachers, office workers, etc.
What are the dangers of sitting for a long time
1
Lumbar spondylosis and cervical spondylosis
Long-term sedentary, or poor posture, or always fixed a posture, will make the waist and neck soft tissues in a state of tension for a long time, soft tissue ischemia, and then produce lumbar muscle strain, neck muscle strain, and in severe cases, lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, cervical intervertebral disc herniation.
2
Lack of appetite
Long-term sitting will weaken gastrointestinal peristalsis, reduce the secretion of digestive juices, and over time symptoms such as lack of appetite, indigestion and fullness, as well as constipation.
3
Weakened cardiac function
If you are sedentary, blood circulation will slow down, and the body's demand for heart workload will be reduced, which will weaken heart function over time, cause myocardial atrophy, and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease.
4
hemorrhoids
In people who sit for a long time, blood circulation slows down, which will block the venous return in the body, and the veins of the rectum and anal canal are prone to varicose formation, that is, the formation of hemorrhoids.
5
Increased risk of rectal and colon cancer
Several studies have shown that sitting for long periods of time may increase the risk of rectal and colon cancer.
6
prostatitis
Excessive fatigue, weakened immunity, and sedentary lifestyles can cause pressure and congestion of the prostate, which can lead to prostatitis over time.
7
Male infertility
Sitting for a long time will lead to poor venous return in the human body, especially for men, sitting for a long time will increase the temperature of the pubic area, coupled with the poor ventilation of clothing here, it is easy to cause inflammation;
8
Female dysmenorrhea
Women often have severe pain before and during menstruation due to prolonged sedentary sitting.
9
Accumulation of "dangerous fats".
Sitting for long periods of time can lead to the accumulation of fat in the body. Studies have shown that the presence of too much visceral fat in the body can increase the risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, so it is called "dangerous fat".
Ways to improve the dangers of sedentary life
1
Correct sitting posture
The back is straight, the shoulders hang down naturally, and the arms are naturally bent on the knees, or on the armrests of a chair or sofa. Note: If the chair is too soft, it may compress the prostate, so you can change to a slightly stiffer chair, add a cushion to the back to reduce the pressure on the lower back, and do not stilt your legs.
2
Move around a lot
In order to ensure that you do not sit for too long, you can stand up and walk around frequently, and it is recommended to stand up and walk around for 5~10 minutes every 1~2 hours. Even when sitting, bend over, lift shoulders, expand your chest or breathe deeply to reduce muscle tension.
3
Single leg lift
Sitting in a stiff, backrested chair, reducing your abdomen, lifting one leg until your leg is sore, and then changing to the other, alternating your legs several times, you can exercise the quadriceps muscles of your thighs, which are rarely exercised.
4
Sleep with a pillow under your feet
For people without heart disease, it is recommended to choose 2~3 days a week to sleep with a pillow under the feet, which can help blood return and improve edema of the lower limbs, and can also soak the feet appropriately to promote blood flow.
5
Tiptoeing
Usually in work and life, especially when the lower limbs are swelling and weak after sitting or standing for a long time, you can use the tiptoe method to exercise. When tiptoeing, the contraction and squeezing of the muscles in the back of the lower leg on both sides will promote the blood return of the exerciser's lower limbs, accelerate blood circulation, and prevent varicose veins in the lower limbs.
6
Anal
Lift the anus upwards as if you were stool, then relax, then lift up again, lift and loosen, repeatedly, while standing, sitting, or walking. It is recommended to do it 2~3 times a day, each time lasting 5~10 minutes. The levator ani can promote local blood circulation and prevent perianal diseases such as hemorrhoids, and the levator ani can also prevent urinary incontinence in women.
7
Lower Footage
Keep your feet together, keep your body upright, put your weight on the soles of your forefeet, tuck your abdomen with your chest, relax your whole body, don't lean your head back, always put your legs together, squat down thoroughly and then stand up slowly, and so on many times. Squatting can strengthen the flexibility of joints and bones, delay the aging of knee joints, strengthen leg muscles, promote metabolism, speed up blood circulation and increase blood return to the heart.
With the advancement and development of science and technology, people's lifestyles have changed a lot, and many people's work is done indoors for a long time in front of the computer, and most of them sit and lie down to rest after returning home, and there is little exercise. In the long run, it will be harmful to health. We should try to avoid sitting for a long time and actively take improvement measures, such as maintaining a correct sitting posture, walking around frequently, raising one leg, tiptoeing, levator anus, etc.
Content Sources:
People's Medical Publishing House published "Family Doctor by Your Side - Common Sense of Healthy Life"
Editor-in-Chief of the book:
Ren Jingjing, chief physician of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Author of this article:
Yang Kaichao
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