Standing Up Every 20 Minutes Can Help You Live Longer

Ashleigh
Jan 19, 2017
2 min read

It is common for people to spend most of the day sitting, however experts have said that we should be taking an active break from sitting regularly to avoid long-term health problems. One way that is very effective in implementing this is through the furniture we use, more specifically height adjustable desks.

Sitting for long periods of time during the day can be detrimental to our wellbeing and causes many work-related problems. Sitting for too long in a day can lead to slouching, weak stomach muscles, leg and ankle stiffness, and a variety of posture-related problems.

Previous studies have found that some of the more serious illnesses people are at risk of from sitting for long periods are cardiovascular disease, obesity, and chronic back problems. Sitting too much also increases a person’s blood sugar levels, which in turn increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. This happens as sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and break down body fat.

Sit/stand desks have many benefits when it comes to combating these issues. Musculoskeletal disease is the most common work-related illness, and this is massively down to sitting; prolonged sitting inflicts undue pressure on the discs in the spine. However, if you were to stand, your body’s weight is spread out through the hips, knees and ankles, which is a lot more balanced. Sit/stand desks encourage a person to change their position and posture, and so assist in preventing these musculoskeletal problems.

It is important to know that periods of standing throughout the day can also improve circulation, muscle tone and vitality. Standing is also said to burn extra calories as you drop more glucose because your heart rate is higher. It may also promote greater productivity and focus as it increases blood flow to the brain, which improves concentration.

Height adjustable desks are useful for a large range of different types of people; people with disabilities that are, for example, in a wheelchair, people who are unable to leave their workstations or those unable to sit all day (such as those returning to work after back surgery), and are also particularly useful in occupations that use ‘hot-desking’ or have several people assigned to the same workstation. It allows users to work using their bodies’ optimal neutral posture, where your body is at its strongest and most efficient.

It has been found that sit-stand desks can reduce the amount of time spent sitting at work by 73 minutes a day, and even the most basic specification of adjustable desks offer a considerable amount of advantages over fixed height workstations. Ultimately, a conventional desk is simply not enough to accommodate the variety of postures necessary for healthy, productive work throughout the day, and the investment made in sit/stand desks takes a preventative step towards reducing the discomfort and injuries of employees, and in turn helps in the reduction of lost workdays due to illness.