Posture is the way you position your body while sitting, standing, sleeping or walking. A bad posture contributes negatively to our health. Here we would be looking at the effects of a bad sitting posture on your body.
It well known that resting is needed once in a while, but maintaining a particular sitting posture for a long period of time could affect your health as the human body was designed to move and not to sit on a chair for so long.
When your posture is bad, pressure on your spine is increased, and this can lead to soreness, tension, headaches and back pain.
Asides back pain which is a general and noticeable effect of poor sitting posture, there are many unseen impacts that you might not have considered. Poor sitting posture can affect your ability physically, mentally and emotionally.
Improper Digestion
By maintaining a particular sitting position for a long period of time, your digestive organs become compressed thus reducing their efficiency and normal function. Digestion is therefore slowed down thus leading to constipation and discomfort. This could also cause respiratory problems, chest tightness and high blood pressure (HBP). You may want to take a closer look at your posture and how much time you spend sitting at a place if you are experiencing digestive distress.
Accumulated fat
Fats are being accumulated as a result of improper digestion which is triggered by long term sitting. A cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure as earlier stated also leads to excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.
Mood
A bad sitting posture has been proven to have a negative effect on your mood. People who sit for longer period of time report higher levels of depression.
Fatigue
This is one of the most common symptoms of poor posture. To hold the body in an awkward position, it takes a lot of energy, so therefore, this alters your breathing capacity which can be diminished by 30%. This I guess is the reason why most people who sit for a long period, after getting up, complain they are tired.
The prevention of these effects is less sitting and more moving overall. You could try standing while talking on the phone or you could try having a stretch after few hours of sitting.
Poor Breathing
Poor posture restricts blood and oxygen flow which makes it difficult to breathe and speak. The lungs function optimally when the diaphragm and rib cage can properly expand. Sitting for a long period positions the lungs in a compressed mode.
Increased Stress Levels
As stated earlier that a bad sitting posture and sitting for too long leads to poor breathing, it further goes ahead to affect your nervous system and could increase your stress levels
Maintaining an upright sitting position with broad shoulders and an open chest allows you to breathe easier and also increases hormone levels making you feel more empowered.
Recommendations:
Try as much as much as possible to get up from your chair regularly. When you start feeling sore or restless, it is advised you take a break, go get some air.
Try some stretching programs. You could practice yoga which is a known way to improve posture and overall health. These programs lengthen our bodies and increase our muscle strength allowing us to gain extra support when sitting.
Ensure while sitting, you maintain an upright position.
Ensure you strengthen your abdominal muscles. The strength of your abdominal muscles greatly affects your ability to support your entire body as stronger abs can take some of the pressure off your back.
Do take note that your posture while sitting could affect your general posture and this could say a lot about you.
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