Sitting for more than eight hours during the workday could increase anxiety and depression, but standing up and moving frequently could reduce or prevent the problems, a study showed.
Research published in the online journal Public Library of Science analyzed the emotional well-being of 42 adults who worked more than 30 hours per week, outfitting them with monitoring equipment for a week to measure their movement, focusing on how often they walk.
The study showed that the amount of time spent sitting during the workday had affected the participants’ anxiety and depression levels, as well as their mental activity.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Participants who sat for fewer than eight hours had Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores lower than groups who sat for eight to 10 hours or more than 10 hours, the study showed.
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology sports and health professor Hsu Chin-hsing (徐錦興) said that the longer people spend sitting, the lower their spirits.
If a person spends all day sitting at work and maintains a sedentary lifestyle at home, they would have a higher likelihood of developing anxiety and depressions, but if the same person engaged in sustained aerobic exercise, the brain would excrete endorphins, dopamine and other hormones that would induce feelings of pleasure, he said.
People can use apps on cellphones or wearable devices, or use a kitchen timer, to remind themselves to get up and move and to sit for not more than eight hours in a day, he said.
John Tung Mental Health Center director Yeh Ya-hsing (葉雅馨) said prolonged sitting while working at a computer leads to soreness and pain in the neck, shoulders and waist.
Having few interactions with people during the day while concentrating at work allows feelings of anxiety and depression and negative emotions to build up, he added.
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