Alternating sitting and standing at work reduces sedentary conduct however has no important influence on blood strain.
Alternating between sitting and standing at work is efficient in decreasing sedentary conduct, but it surely doesn’t considerably decrease blood strain, as present in a research led by an epidemiologist from West Virginia College. The analysis additionally revealed that extreme standing throughout work might have detrimental penalties for cardiovascular well being(1✔ ✔Trusted SupplyResults of Sedentary Habits Discount on Blood Strain in Desk Staff: Outcomes From the RESET-BP Randomized Scientific Trial
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In a scientific trial, the staff aimed to reveal that people with hypertension might scale back their blood strain by way of a behavioral intervention that concerned utilizing a sit-stand desk to reduce sitting time.
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Influence of Sit-Stand Desks on Sedentary Habits and Blood Strain
“Folks decreased their sedentary conduct by over an hour a day by standing at their desks and that was actually good as a result of there’s nonetheless a number of proof that implies an excessive amount of sitting shouldn’t be good for us and we have to be shifting extra,” mentioned Bethany Barone Gibbs, chair and professor within the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics on the WVU College of Public Well being.
“Nevertheless, blood strain didn’t enhance in any respect, not with resting blood strain, ambulatory blood strain or pulse wave velocity. That’s necessary as a result of I believe lots of people are utilizing sit-stand desks and suppose that may assist their blood strain.”
Almost half of U.S. adults have hypertension, in line with the American Coronary heart Affiliation. Rising bodily exercise is one way of life change that may assist decrease the numbers.
“We all know average to vigorous depth bodily exercise like brisk strolling or biking completely decreases blood strain,” Barone Gibbs mentioned. “However over the previous 10 years, we now perceive that even when you’re exercising as a lot as you’re alleged to, which is 20 to half-hour every single day, there are one other 16 hours in the course of the day the place you’re doing one thing else. These days, many individuals are sitting for many of that point.”
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Dangers of Extended Standing
Barone Gibbs mentioned earlier observational research — together with some she led — recommend individuals who sat lots had worse cardiovascular well being than individuals who have been extra lively.
“A few of these confirmed that when you sat for a very long time in a single sitting, dangerous cardiovascular issues began to occur, like blood pooling in your legs and your blood strain would go as much as compensate for the shortage of circulation,” she mentioned.
For the scientific trial, researchers really helpful that contributors stand 15 to half-hour every hour and take a strolling break each hour. Nevertheless, some stood longer than others, and that elevated their measure of aortic arterial stiffness, an element that makes your coronary heart work tougher and marks an early stage of heart problems. pooling in your legs and your blood strain would go as much as compensate for the shortage of circulation,” she mentioned.
Though Barone Gibbs deemed the outcome “statistically important, however not gigantic,” she mentioned it signifies extended static standing might have the identical impact as sitting for lengthy intervals.
The rationale, she defined, is a physiological mechanism referred to as a muscle pump — or musculovenous pump — which helps flow into blood from the legs again to the center.
“The veins in our legs have a one-way valve that after the blood will get pushed up, it will probably’t come again down. That helps your coronary heart pump the blood again up out of your legs to your coronary heart and mind,” she mentioned. “Everytime you flex the muscular tissues in your calves by strolling or shifting, these muscle contractions are serving to to push the blood up by way of this one-way valve. So, when you’re standing at your desk, not shifting, that in all probability ends in the identical blood pooling results we see with sitting however even worse as a result of it’s even tougher on your blood to push again as much as your mind in a standing posture.”
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Results of Static Standing on Blood Strain and Cardiovascular Well being
Their work was revealed within the American Coronary heart Affiliation journal Circulation and also will seem in a particular null speculation article assortment.
“I do know we did an excellent research and, although it’s a null outcome, that’s necessary as a result of we have to know what doesn’t work identical to we have to know what works for bettering blood strain,” Barone Gibbs mentioned.
To conduct the research, Barone Gibbs and her staff recruited 271 desk employees who had elevated blood strain and set a purpose of accelerating their workday bodily exercise.
Individuals got sit-stand desks and wearable exercise trackers that buzzed in the event that they didn’t get in no less than 250 steps an hour. They have been additionally fitted with exercise displays and requested to maintain a diary so researchers might perceive their behaviors inside and outdoors of labor. Assessments included blood strain and arterial stiffness.
Researchers discovered that standing exterior of workplace hours had a constructive impact at reducing blood strain, a outcome Barone Gibbs attributes to the variations in the best way folks stand in leisure or work time.
“Extra lively standing is occurring while you’re by yourself time,” she mentioned. “Say I’m standing watching my daughter’s soccer recreation, I could be standing, however I’m in all probability shifting round speaking to folks and watching the sport. I’m not simply standing nonetheless for a very long time. I’m utilizing my leg muscular tissues and selling blood movement. That’s an necessary distinction to make. Whereas somebody utilizing a sit-stand desk, a cashier, or different sorts of occupational standing are extra seemingly going to be standing nonetheless or static standing for an extended interval. My speculation is that months of this static and extended kind of standing is what might trigger the arteries to get stiffer over time.”
Nonetheless, Barone Gibbs mentioned sit-stand desks are useful in a number of methods, together with offering aid for continual low again ache and regulating glucose ranges, as some research recommend.
Nevertheless, she advises folks to keep away from static standing and as an alternative hold their muscular tissues shifting — a conduct she plans to handle in her subsequent research.
“What we wish to examine are the small stuff you do at your desk, comparable to heel raises to work the muscle pump, utilizing a steadiness board, or marching in place to get these muscular tissues shifting. Does that make standing at a desk useful relatively than dangerous? We predict it’ll, however we don’t know for certain,” she mentioned.
“We’d like extra analysis on this so we are able to inform folks what they will do to enhance their well being. It’s our job as researchers to tell the general public how one can spend their time and vitality most successfully for well being advantages.”
Reference:
Results of Sedentary Habits Discount on Blood Strain in Desk Staff: Outcomes From the RESET-BP Randomized Scientific Trial – (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.068564)
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