Do You Have a 9-5 Desk Job? Then this is for you!

New Delhi, October 10, 2017 : Have you been sitting at your desk, glued to your computer since the morning? Or have not had the chance to get up and stretch because of continuous classes? We urge you to get up, and walk out right now! No, we don't mean quit what you are doing; we simply suggest you take a break, stretch and move a little. A new research has revealed that sitting for long hours can play an immediate role in early death. However, according to experts, the risk can be countered by moving around every half-hour.

We have all been toying around the idea for as far as we can remember – Is a desk job bad for your health?

According to a new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, experts have confirmed what had long been suspected: Yes, your desk job is slowly killing you.

Researchers have now found a complimentary link between long sitting hours and the risk of an early death suggesting that indulging in one may lead to the other.

Is Your Desk Job Killing you ? Researchers Find Out

The study involved observing 7,985 adults over a course of four years, taking into account their age, and other patterns of a sedentary lifestyle,

• Duration spent seated
• How often they got up for breaks
• Activities undertaken during the breaks

It was revealed that an inactive work-life, i.e. individuals who spend extended periods of time sitting on their desks are more likely to counter health issues.

Study Outcome

On an average, each individual sits for over 9 hours – that is more than the hours we spend sleeping! This new sedentary lifestyle is not in sync with our biological needs and hence, destructive of our overall well being.

To answer the question if a desk job is bad for our health, the study co-author, Keith Diaz believes "We found that the longer your movement break the better (that is, the lower your risk of death), and the more intense your movement break the better".

As per the study, the least designation of a movement break amounts to a minute.

ALSO READ 6 Mistakes that are Making You Unhealthy

Diaz hypothesizes that long working hours when balanced with regular physical movement may help to stabilize stress levels, alongside keeping the blood sugar levels in check and preventing the formation of blood clots in the legs due to inactivity.

Is Your Desk Job Bad For Your Health?

Sitting on your work-desk for extended hours may be the reason for the shooting pain in your back and body. Pixabay

It is being believed that sitting continuously for long hours will not only take years off your life (and even meager exercise every day will not help), but will also come with soaring stress levels and a host of other problems that don't show physical symptoms for years.

Additionally, individuals sitting for long hours on desks are at an increasing risk of developing muscular skeletal disorders, diabetes, and heart illnesses.

Experts have now come to believe that sitting is the new smoking of our generation.

What Can You Do About It?

It is a fact that we spend a great deal of our time staring at screens, sitting in comfortable chairs, a practice that is fatal for us in more ways than one. Fortunately, apart from movement breaks, there are a few basic changes that can help,

• Do not work for more than 10 hours

Working for more than 10 hours leads to elevated stress levels. Several researchers have accounted that individuals who work for extended hours have a 60 per cent greater risk of developing a multitude of cardiovascular diseases.

ALSO READ Anuloma Vilom: This 20 Minutes Healthy Yoga Practice Will Keep Ills At Bay

• Do not work for a bad boss

According to a study published in The Washington Post, working for a bad boss can lead to chronic stress, additionally linked to a host of other ailments like anxiety, depression, sleep issues, high blood pressure and weight issues.

• Do not type for long hours

An excessive amount of typing can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), that causes strain to the wrist and the pain can extend all the way up to the arm. The hitch can be aggravated if not tended to on time.

• Do not miss breakfast

Constantly on the run and missing the most important meal of the day, courtesy a busy lifestyle? That's the worst thing you can do to your body. Missing breakfast puts your body in a stressful state and interrupts your metabolism.