How long you should sit, sleep, stand and exercise every day, revealed by scientists

Stand up for yourself – at least much more than you probably are.

Because an Australian study shows that standing for at least five hours a day is essential for ‘optimal’ health.

Researchers think they have discovered exactly how long we need to sit, sleep, stand and exercise every day to have and keep a healthy heart.

Experts have warned for years that standing still for too much of the day increases the risk of a host of health problems, including weight gain, type 2 diabetes, cancer and even premature death.

Now a team of researchers say we should aim to sit for just six hours a day, three hours less than the UK average.

Just over two hours a day should be spent on vigorous exercise, such as working out in the gym or going for a brisk walk.

Light exercise, such as doing household chores or cooking food, should require an additional two efforts.

And when it comes to sleep, eight hours and twenty minutes of shut-eye is essential.

But people will only experience the lasting benefits of these measures for heart health if they practice them regularly, the researchers said.

Dr. Christian Brakenridge, study author and expert in exercise physiology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, added: ‘For different health markers, from waist circumference to fasting glucose, there would be different levels for each behaviour.

‘This breakdown covers a wide range of health characteristics and converges on the 24 hours associated with overall optimal health.’

He added: ‘Of course, as much exercise as possible is always encouraged when much of life requires us to sit in front of screens.

‘Sitting less and spending more time standing, physical activity and sleeping will give a big boost to our cardiometabolic health.’

The academics analyzed data from more than 2,300 volunteers, on average 60 years old. A quarter had type 2 diabetes.

They tracked their activities for eight days using a small monitor they wore on their thighs and calculated the total amount of time they spent sitting, standing and sleeping.

The team then compared the participants’ health markers, including waist circumference and glucose and insulin levels.

Factors that could skew the results, such as smoking history, education and diet, were also taken into account.

They found that those with ‘optimal’ markers spent ‘substantially’ less time sitting, longer standing and ‘spent significantly more time being physically active’.

Those with type 2 diabetes and who had “average optimal composition” also favored longer sleep time.

Writing in the diary Diabetology‘, the researchers added: ‘Sedentary behavior is negatively associated with cardiometabolic health.

‘Less time spent being sedentary and more time spent doing physical activity is associated with improved plasma glucoseinsulin sensitivity, insulin levels, fat percentage and triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels.’

However, they acknowledged that the data was only ‘a recommendation’ and people’s time use must be ‘realistic and balanced’.

Problems may arise in the data in precisely differentiating the time participants spend on each of the types of activities measured.

For example, it was recorded that standing is very similar to performing light physical activity.

Dr. Brakenridge added that the activities people choose over others would obviously influence the results.

‘Sleeping can be harmful to health if it replaces exercise time, but beneficial if it replaces sedentary behavior.

‘That is why we need integrated guidelines that cover the full spectrum of human behavior.’

He added: ‘People may argue for more time exercising, even though it is not feasible to do 10 hours of exercise and zero hours of sedentary behavior; the time spent must be realistic and balanced.

‘It is also important to recognize that this data is a recommendation for a capable adult. We all have different considerations, and exercise should above all be fun.’

Their recommendations also leave 10 minutes free in a 24-hour day.

Although the researchers calculated what adults should ideally aim for in terms of activity, people are still likely to benefit even if they don’t achieve these precise goals.

For example, exercising moderately for two hours a day is still good for you, even if you don’t commit to exercising for exactly two hours and ten minutes.