Prolonged sitting has been shown to harm brain health.
Office workers, in particular, spend an average of over 8 hours a day glued to their desks, eyes fixed on computer screens. Recent studies have raised alarming concerns that this sedentary lifestyle is closely linked to cognitive decline, including dementia.
A study by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and California State University, Los Angeles, dropped a bombshell: people who park their behinds for more than 10 hours daily show a noticeable decrease in gray matter density in crucial brain regions, the temporal lobe and hippocampus. These brain regions are your cognitive command centers, handling memory, learning, and language processing. These two areas are brain structures responsible for cognitive functions such as memory, learning ability, and language processing, and atrophy of these areas is closely related to degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Interestingly, these risks cannot be eliminated by exercise alone. In other words, your brain health may suffer even if you exercise for an hour a day and then spend the rest of your time sitting down. This explains the emphasis on the “need for continuous physical activity.”
Long periods of sitting decrease blood flow throughout the body. In particular, brain cell function deteriorates and degenerative changes may occur over time if the brain’s oxygen and nutrient supply is not sufficient. Furthermore, focused work done while seated raises stress hormone secretion, which results in a chronic inflammatory response that impairs brain function.
Additionally, people frequently lose themselves in passive activities like watching TV or using smartphones while seated. This inactive brain use can result in long-term memory and cognitive decline and impede the formation of neural circuits.
Avoiding prolonged sitting can be accomplished in surprisingly easy ways. First, take a short walk or stretch when you wake up every 30 to 60 minutes. Second, when you can, get up during phone calls or meetings. Third, get into the habit of walking around your home after work and taking the stairs whenever possible.
It is also beneficial to regularly partake in brain-stimulating activities like puzzle solving, reading, and playing an instrument. These work well to slow down degenerative changes and activate different brain parts.
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