Sitting for 8 hours a day can increase chances of suffering stroke: Study

A new study has found that adults under 60 who spend most of their days sitting have a higher risk of stroke compared to those who spend more time being physically active.

According to a study published in Stroke from the American Heart Association, people who reported sitting for about eight or more hours daily and were not very physically active were seven times more at risk of having a stroke than people who spent fewer than four hours being sedentary and at least 10 minutes exercising each day.

CNN News reported that Researchers included the health information of as many as 143,000 adults from the Canadian Community Health Survey in their analysis. It also reported that the scientists followed the participants, who were 40 years and older with no prior history of stroke, for an average of 9.4 years.

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Lead study author Dr Raed Joundi, clinical scholar at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada said, “Sedentary time is thought to impair glucose, lipid metabolism and blood flow, and increase inflammation in the body. These changes, over time, may have adverse effects on the blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.”

“Of the 2,965 strokes participants had during the study period, 90 percent were ischemic strokes. Those are the most common type of stroke,” Joundi said, adding that they happen when an artery that supplies blood to the brain is blocked.

What are the signs of a stroke?

Kerry Stewart, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore said that there are multiple signs that indicate someone may be having a stroke.

According to Stewart, the common symptoms of a stroke include feeling weakness in your arms, legs or face, particularly if the feeling is isolated to one side of your body. Slurred speech and difficulty seeing or hearing are other signs that one may be having a stroke.

He also noted that if one suddenly has a severe headache that isn’t linked to any other known health conditions they have, that could also be a stroke symptom.

How to reduce the chances of having a stroke?

Stewart noted that increase in physical activity while decrease in sedentary time can help lower your risk of stroke. “People can start by standing more and sitting less,” he said, adding that “it makes small changes in their routine like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.”

According to the American Heart Association, adults should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity. Joundi said it is ideal for that activity to be in periods of more than 10 minutes at a time.

“Activities are considered moderate intensity when you are exercising enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, such as brisk walking or biking,” he said.