Sitting Vs Standing: How To Balance 24 Hours To Optimize Health, Why Good Sleep Is Key

Standing up for yourself, quite literally, has a lot of benefits. An Australian study has suggested standing for at least five hours a day to achieve ‘optimal’ health. It has also found exactly how long we should be sitting, sleeping, standing and exercising every day to keep your heart healthy.

The study breaks down a wide range of health markers from waist circumference to fasting glucose for each behaviour, said Dr Christian Brakenridge, study author and expert in exercise physiology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.

“Of course, moving as much as you can is always encouraged when so much of life requires us to be sitting in front of screens. Shorter sitting time and more time spent standing, undergoing physical activity and sleeping give great boosts to our cardiometabolic health,” said Brakenridge as quoted by Daily Mail, UK.

What Does the Study Determine?

The study found spending two hours per day on vigorous exercises such as working out in the gym or taking a brisk walk, and light exercise such as doing household chores or making dinner could have meaningful ramifications on one’s health. When it comes to sleep, eight hours and twenty minutes of shut eye is key.

The researchers stressed that if these measures are followed consistently, it will have lasting benefits on the heart’s health.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 2,300 volunteers, aged 60, on average. A quarter had Type 2 diabetes. They tracked the activities for eight days using a small monitor worn on their thighs calculating the time each spent on sitting, standing and sleeping.

The researchers said, “Less time spent being sedentary and more time spent participating in physical activity is associated with improved plasma glucose, insulin sensitivity, insulin levels, fat percentage, and triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels”.

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They accounted for factors such as smoking history, education and diet, type 2 diabetes of volunteers.

You May Be Doing More Physical Activities Than You Think

The research showed that standing was recorded as being similar to doing light exercises in a day. For example, walking less than 100 steps per minute such as walking to a water cooler, the bathroom or strolling with friends could help with glucose control, especially in those with type 2 diabetes.

Light physical activity such as taking a 3-5 minute walk every hour can improve metabolism, especially after lunch.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for more than 2 hours a day or more than 100 steps a day is good even if you don’t commit to working out for precisely 2 hours and 10 minutes.

“Sleeping may be detrimental to health if it replaces exercise time, but beneficial if it replaces sedentary behaviour. This is why we need integrated guidelines considering the full spectrum of human behaviour,” said Dr Brakenridge as quoted by the Daily Mail, UK.

The Sleep Quotient

There is good evidence that links sleep deprivation with poor metabolic health. “When you’re tired, you’re less likely to exercise and won’t eat as healthfully, and you feel more stressed,” says Dr Edward Phillips, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, referring to a different study published by the European Heart Journal in November 2023.

So, when a person is sleep deprived (that is, sleeping routinely for less than six hours at night), he or she should prioritize getting at least seven hours of shuteye every night rather doing more exercise.

Dr Maj Gen (R.) Susheel Kumar Malani, Professor and HOD, Cardiology, DPU Super Specialty Hospital, Pimpri, said, as quoted by India Today, “Sleep deprivation can intensify the physiological stress response, increasing blood pressure and heart rate even further . Moreover, stress can impair sleep quality and duration, leading to a vicious cycle that exacerbates the negative impact on heart health.”

Dr Yong Chiat Wong, Group Head Scientist, Medical & Technical Affairs, ZzzQuil, P&G Health, explains how sleep plays a crucial role in the recovery of the heart. “During sleep, our breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure naturally decrease. Disrupted sleep hampers the heart to rest and disrupts the body’s immune processes. Deprived sleep can increase the risk of immune-related diseases,” said Dr Wong as quoted in a report by India Today.

How to Get Moving?

To ensure that you get up from the chair, you should fill up your bottle and drink it throughout the day so that you could use the bathroom, recommends Dr Phillips from Harvard Medical School. Another helpful habit: take a short stroll after lunch or dinner. “Using the large muscles in your legs helps absorb the glucose load from the meal, which helps regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels,” he explains as mentioned in a report by Harvard Medical School.

A smartphone or a smartwatch can help you track your daily steps or your daily activity provided if you carry it every day.