By John Salak –
Standing desks have certainly taken a step up in the last decade, forgive the pun. Their growth has been fueled by well-publicized claims that sitting all day at work is a health risk. Ultimately, this allure is expected to help the global market for these desks to hit almost $13 billion by 2032.
Now, however, reports out of Finland and Australia warn that workers are actually better off taking a seat rather than standing all day. Australian researchers specifically claim that standing might not deliver the suggested beneficial heart health and could even increase the risk of some circulatory problems.
A Finnish study, in turn, reports that prolonged standing at work can have a negative impact on an individual’s blood pressure. It went on to suggest that activity during working hours may be more relevant to a person’s blood pressure than recreational physical activity.
Both reports underscore some earlier findings that physical activity at work, as opposed to during recreational periods, can be harmful to the heart and circulatory system.
“A standing desk can provide a nice change from sitting at the office, but too much standing can be harmful. It’s a good idea to take a break from standing during the workday, either by walking every half an hour or sitting for some parts of the day,” explained doctoral researcher Jooa Norha, who worked on the Finnish study at the University of Turku.
Despite the dual warnings, both studies stressed that regular exercise is important for controlling blood pressure. They noted that more vigorous, aerobic exercise is effective for lowering blood pressure, but that even everyday physical activity like exercise snacks can have a beneficial impact.
Researchers from the Finnish university also stressed the importance of recreational physical activity for both office and construction workers.
“It is good to remember that being physically active at work is not enough on its own. Engaging in diverse physical exercises during leisure time helps to maintain fitness, making work-related strain more manageable. Similarly, employees with predominantly sedentary jobs should ensure that they get enough exercise during their leisure time,” Norha said.
The Australian team’s efforts, which involved more than 83,000 participants, discovered that standing for extended periods did not reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The group concluded that spending too much time either sitting or standing was linked to a higher risk of problems such as varicose veins and feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
The University of Turku’s work focused on measuring the impact of physical activity on municipal employees approaching retirement age. Their activity levels were recorded using thigh-worn accelerometers during working hours, leisure time and days off. The participants also used a portable blood pressure monitor that automatically measured their blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours.
“Rather than any single measurement, 24-hour blood pressure is a better indication of how blood pressure stresses the heart and blood vessels throughout the day and night. If blood pressure is slightly high throughout the day and does not fall sufficiently even at night, blood vessels start to stiffen and the heart has to work harder to cope with the increased pressure. Over the years, this can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease,” Norha explained.
The measurements showed that prolonged standing can raise blood pressure as the body boosts circulation to the lower limbs by constricting blood vessels and increasing the pumping power of the heart. The study further suggested that sedentary work by itself is not necessarily harmful to blood pressure.
