Why Standing Desks Are a Good Health Investment

It seems that now more than ever before, people are sitting a lot more than they are standing. Children who attend traditional school and adults with office jobs struggle the most with this problem. When these people return home, their activity level does not improve much. With modern technology, people are only given more excuses to sit down. Television, smart phones and video games have all greatly contributed to this growing dilemma. Excessive sitting not only promotes the struggle of obesity, but it also brings about a variety of serious health problems.

In January of 2014, it was reported by researchers that sitting for excessive amounts of time is linked to decreased mental health, a greater risk of death resulting from heart disease and a greater risk of becoming disabled. Many people who sit for long periods of time, yet exercise regularly may think that they are exempt from these health consequences. However, those same researches have also discovered that this is simply not the case. According to them, regular exercise and standing should be viewed as two completely separate things altogether. While exercise is certainly important, it should never be used to justify long periods of sitting. It is recommended that a person stand up for every fifteen minutes of sitting in order to stay healthy. Unfortunately, this is just not possible for some. Thankfully, there is an invention that would solve this problem for most people. This solution is known as the standing desk.

The standing desk can be defined within it's own name. It is a desk that allows the one using the desk to stand up, thus eliminating the usual need for a chair. Standing desks are tall, as they would need to be for the average sized person to be able to work comfortably. These desks may seem like a new and innovative product, but in reality, they have been around for many years. It was not until recently that they have gained more recognition, as scientists have unearthed the dangers of excessive sitting.

There has been research that suggests a lower mortality rate in Americans who sit less than three hours per day. At the end of the study, it was discovered that anyone who sits a maximum of three hours per day can increase their life expectancy to two years more. On the contrary, a separate study was conducted in Australia that suggested that the participants who sat for additional hours increased their risk of mortality by 11 percent.

In addition to a longer life, sitting less has also been associated with a decreased risk of developing cancer. While this applies mainly to breast and colon cancer, it also applies to lung cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. The direct correlation to sitting excessively and cancer is still not clear, but scientists have found biomarkers in those who sit for unhealthy lengths of time.

Those who suffer from back problems may benefit greatly from using a standing desk. When people are sitting all day, they are not using their other muscles. As a result, slouching and abdominal cavities are too common to them. A standing desk allows the core and back muscles to be continually active and healthy.

Some people struggle to remain alert and focused throughout their work day. They become so easily distracted and drained that it becomes difficult for them to focus on the tasks needed to be completed. By using a standing desk, circulation, blood sugar and metabolism are often all improved significantly. In fact, many authors have claimed that in standing, they were able to truly be creative and let their imagination flow in their work. Avoiding excessive sitting is also a wonderful solution to decreasing fatigue and tiredness.