Why You Shouldn’t Spend Too Much Time Sitting or Lying Down During the Day

Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation experts share their analysis of a study about the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle on women published in the prestigious U.S. journal Circulation on November 24, 2020.

For women ages 50 to 79, the more sedentary they are during the day, the higher their risk of being hospitalized for heart failure. This finding came from an epidemiological study conducted with more than 80,000 menopausal women with an average age of 63. Participants reported how much time they spent sitting or lying down and how much time they were moving. These women, who didn’t have heart failure at the beginning of the study, were tracked for nine years, on average.
In comparison with women who spent less than six and a half hours sitting or lying down during the day, the risk of hospitalization for heart failure increased by 15% for women who stayed seated or lying down for more than six and a half hours and less than nine and a half hours. For those who spent more than nine and a half hours sitting or lying down during the day, the risk increased by 42%.
The same observations were made when focusing just on the amount of time spent sitting: in comparison with women who spent less than four and a half hours sitting during the day, the risk of hospitalization for heart failure increased by 14% for women who stayed seated for more than four and a half hours and less than eight and a half hours. For those who spent more than eight and a half hours sitting during the day, the risk increased by 54%.
Since this was an observational study, it didn’t determine with certainty that a causal link exists between a sedentary lifestyle and heart failure. However, these results are congruent with other studies showing that the more sedentary a person is, the higher their risk of developing diabetes and having high blood pressure—conditions that increase the risk of heart failure.
As the saying goes, “Sitting is the new smoking.” That’s why Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation is highlighting the negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle on women’s health. We need to get moving, use the stairs and stay active however we can. It’s essential to avoid sitting or lying down too long during the day. Instead, if you have a sedentary job, it’s best to get up and move every two hours.

https://newsroom.heart.org/news/less-sedentary-time-reduces-heart-failure-risk-for-older-women
Circulation: Heart Failure Journal Report

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