Scientists from University College London (UCL) found that sleeping is better for heart health than sitting. These conclusions were reached in the course of a meta-analysis, published in the European Heart Journal, which examined how different movement patterns throughout the day are associated with heart health.
The work included a review of six studies involving 15 thousand people from five countries. The subjects were asked to wear special devices on their hips that measured their activity for 24 hours. Then the experts compiled the most popular behavioral patterns during the day.
It turns out that time spent doing moderate activity has the greatest benefits for heart health. This is followed by light activity, standing and sleep. The most adverse effect on cardiovascular health is caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
The team then simulated what would happen if a person traded one behavior for another every day for a week. By replacing a sedentary lifestyle with five minutes of moderate activity, heart health risks were significantly reduced.
Specifically, for a 54-year-old woman with an average body mass index (BMI) of 26.6, a 30-minute change in routine resulted in a 0.64 decrease in BMI, a difference of 2.4 percent. Replacing half an hour of sitting or lying a day with moderate to vigorous exercise resulted in a 2.5 centimeter (2.7 percent) reduction in waist circumference.
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