I have written many times about how difficult our constant sitting is for our bodies. Basically, if you are sitting for a long time, you need to be as fit as an athlete. And then what about our brain? Is it also affected by our sitting habit? I would have said no to that question. After all, I am usually doing mental work and exercising my brain while sedentary. But a major study from 2023 published in JAMA has found that assumption is not quite right.
The study followed nearly 50,000 older adults and looked at the link between sedentary behaviour and dementia.
How much you sit matters
The results show that the risk of dementia remains relatively stable if you sat less than 10 hours a day. Every extra hour, though, showed a sharp association with increased dementia risk. Ten hours may sound like a lot but consider the time spent commuting, having food, relaxing and then if you are sitting for a living, it all does easily accumulate to ten hours and more.
Total time matters most
We often hear that we should get up and stretch every 30 minutes or so. While that’s great for blood circulation and posture, this study found that breaking up your sitting time like this didn’t change the risk of dementia. The brain doesn’t seem to care if you sit for one whole 10-hour stretch or ten smaller 1-hour stretches. It’s the total accumulated time spent inactive that correlates with cognitive decline. This means the goal should be actively reducing the total hours we spend sitting each day.
We can’t yet say for certain that sitting causes dementia. it could be that early-stage cognitive changes make people less likely to be active. However, we already know that sedentary lifestyles contribute to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Both of them are major independent risk factors for brain health. So reducing your “chair time” is good for both your body and your mind.
The best type of movement
So, what to do? For me, the best type of movement to get you out of your sitting is the one that you actually enjoy and that makes you feel better. I have found this type of movement for myself and I can only invite you to try it out for yourself.
You can find all the details about my yoga classes here.
