It’s good news for afternoon naps, but bad news for people who sit on the couch: even sleeping is better for you than sitting, new research shows.
A study found that any activity from jogging to napping can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke compared to sitting for long periods of time.
Decent sleep was found to have beneficial effects on BMI and waist circumference, with experts suggesting this could be due to less time for unhealthy traits such as snacking.
Exercise remains the best way to protect heart health, they said, and varying the amount of time you spend sitting can lead to lower cholesterol, a healthier weight and a smaller waistline.
The new research from University College London and the University of Sydney involved 15,253 people in five countries who wore gadgets to measure their activity levels 24 hours a day.
Blood sugar levels were also lower when people spent more time exercising, standing or sleeping than sedentary behavior
Switching just four to 12 minutes a day from sedentary behavior to moderate or vigorous physical activity yielded benefits in all areas.
The study found that replacing 30 minutes of sitting per day with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise had the greatest effect on people with a lower body weight.
Cholesterol levels also improved when just six minutes of sedentary behavior was replaced with exercise, although more exercise was better, their models showed.
According to the findings published in the European Heart Journal, blood sugar levels were also lower when people spent more time exercising, standing or sleeping than when they were sedentary.
The results suggested a hierarchy in what is good for health, with vigorous exercise, such as jogging, fast cycling, football or tennis, being the most beneficial.
This was followed by light exercise, such as brisk walking or cleaning, then sleeping or standing.
Calculations in the study suggested that for a 54-year-old woman with an average body mass index (BMI) of 26.5, replacing 30 minutes of daily sitting or lying time with moderate or vigorous exercise could also translate into a weight gain of 2 .5cm (2.7). percent) decrease in waist circumference and a lower BMI.
Dr. Jo Blodgett from UCL said: ‘The key takeaway from our research is that while small changes in the way you exercise can have a positive impact on heart health, the intensity of exercise does matter.
‘The most beneficial change we observed was replacing sitting with moderate to vigorous activity – such as running, brisk walking or stair climbing – basically any activity that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe faster, even for a minute or two. .’
The associations between sleep and cardiometabolic health were more complex, she added, with clear benefits of sleep replacing sitting for adioposity markers such as BMI and waist circumference, but little effect on blood-based markers such as cholesterol, triglycerides or blood glucose levels.
“When considering sitting versus sleeping, the negative impact of sitting on these obesity measures is likely due to related unhealthy behaviors (e.g. snacking) rather than the physiological benefits of sleep itself,” she said.
The researchers pointed out that while time spent on vigorous activity is the fastest way to improve heart health, small changes can also have an impact when done for longer periods of time.
Examples of this include exchanging a sitting desk for a standing desk for a few hours a day and walking while talking on the phone.
James Leiper, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation which funded the research, said: ‘This study shows that replacing even a few minutes of sitting with a few minutes of moderate activity can improve your BMI, cholesterol, waist size and much more. . more physical benefits.
‘Becoming active isn’t always easy, and it’s important to make changes that you can stick with in the long term and that you enjoy. Anything that gets your heart rate up can help.
Incorporating “activity snacks,” like walking while on the phone, or setting an alarm to get up and do a few starbursts every hour, is a great way to build activity into your day to get into the habit to live a healthy, active lifestyle.’