However, a closer look reveals that the pressure on the spine is at its lowest when we are lying in the supine position (it is under eight times less pressure than when we're sitting). It promotes most complete muscle relaxation, stress-relief and slower heartbeat.
Laying in bed forever may sound relaxing, but it can lead to serious health issues. Physically, most of your muscles and bones would break down in about six months to a year. You'd also be susceptible to nasty ulcers called bed sores.
Even if you sit in the bed, you're still sitting on an uneven surface for an extended period of time, having the monitor at an incorrect height, and likely curving your back. This can create pain either immediately or over time, which can also decrease sleep quality. It can also lead to musculoskeletal disease .
Advocates of standing desks point to studies showing that after a meal, blood sugar levels return to normal faster on days a person spends more time standing. And standing, rather than sitting, may reduce the risk of shoulder and back pain.
Lying down isn't completely useless—it does help your muscles and other organs relax. But you'd get the same results just from reclining on the couch. So sleep is still your best friend.
Causes of Spending Too Much Time in Bed
Spending excessive time in bed may be a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as depression. Depression is a mood disorder that has many symptoms, including decreased interest in activities or other people, weight changes, trouble sleeping, and fatigue.
Depression, stress, anxiety, or lack of sleep can make staying in bed tempting. However, staying in bed can worsen some symptoms of depression and insomnia. Where possible, it is best to try to get up at the same time each day.
LOW risk indicates sitting less than 4 hours per day. MEDIUM risk indicates sitting 4 to 8 hours per day. HIGH risk indicates sitting 8 to 11 hours per day. VERY HIGH risk indicates sitting more than 11 hours per day.
Experts have found that you should try to stand for at least 2 hours per day, but up to 4 hours per day could be optimal. This might seem like a lot, but there are lots of ways you can fit standing into your day.
Researchers analyzed 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels. They found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to that posed by obesity and smoking.
Prolonged bed rest affects the amount of fluid in your body and the pressure at which blood is pumped, making it difficult for the body to adapt to activity again. It causes changes in the size of the heart, too, and the body's ability to replenish blood.
So no, having your eyes closed in bed does not count as sleep, but it's not like it's not beneficial either. Quiet wakefulness is an intermediary step for all of us to get to sleep on a healthy schedule, unless we are accustomed to being so exhausted we fall asleep within seconds of laying down.
When you sleep too much, you're throwing off that biological clock, and it starts telling the cells a different story than what they're actually experiencing, inducing a sense of fatigue.
When we sleep, our bodies produce a hormone called melatonin which makes us feel relaxed and comfortable.
Turns out, just sitting or lying down on the couch may make you fat, found Tel Aviv University researchers. When we plop in front of the television for a long time, the weight of our body subjects our cells to tension and elongation, explains study author Professor Amit Gefen.
Circulation in your lower body has to work extra hard to return blood to your heart if you're standing all day, which can cause swelling and aching.
Risks begin to manifest for those who stand more than four hours per day. What constitutes “too much” standing can also change based on the circumstances. For instance, it is recommended that pregnant women avoid standing for prolonged periods of time.
A sedentary or inactive lifestyle. You have probably heard of all of these phrases, and they mean the same thing: a lifestyle with a lot of sitting and lying down, with very little to no exercise. In the United States and around the world, people are spending more and more time doing sedentary activities.
set a reminder to get up every 30 minutes. place a laptop on a box or similar to work standing. stand or walk around while on the phone. take a walk break every time you take a coffee or tea break.
Most professionals recommend spending no more time on the toilet than it takes to pass a stool. Studies have shown that the average bowel movement takes 12 seconds. Sometimes it does take longer, however, so at maximum, you should not spend more than 10 minutes on the toilet.
It is not uncommon to feel 'wobbly' or unsteady on your feet after sitting for a long period. It can be due to reduced blood flow, tight muscles and ligaments, fluid pooled in the body's lower extremities, or pins and needles sensations in the feet.
The following factors can contribute to fatigue, either alone or in combination: Psychological and psychosocial – stress, anxiety, and depression. Physical – anemia, diabetes, glandular fever, and cancer. Physiological – pregnancy, breast-feeding, inadequate sleep, and excessive exercise.
You may be too exhausted even to manage your daily affairs. In most cases, there's a reason for the fatigue. It might be allergic rhinitis, anemia, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease (COPD), a bacterial or viral infection, or some other health condition.