TOO MUCH SITTING WORSENS SLEEP APNEA

Canadian researchers have identified a new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in normal-weight men - too much sitting.

The more time a man spends seated during the day, the greater the volume of fluid that shifts from his legs to his neck overnight; and the greater the fluid shift, the worse the OSA.
When people are active, calf muscle contractions help prevent fluid from collecting in the legs: And if there is less fluid in the legs during the day, there will be less fluid in the neck at night. But many people's work requires them to sit for long periods of time, causing fluid to accumulate.

Obesity is known to increase one's likelihood of OSA, which is gauged by the apnea-hypopnea index, or the number of times a person's breathing stops or slows per hour of sleep. However, as many as 60% of people who have the sleep disorder aren't obese.

Researchers found that the amount of fluid that redistributed from the legs to the upper body corresponded with apnea-hypopnea index scores. This was also strongly linked to overnight changes in neck circumference and the amount of time a man had spent sitting the previous day. And amount of time spent sitting was itself linked to a greater fluid shift.

An important implication of our observations is that sedentary living may predispose to OSA not only by promoting obesity, but also by causing accumulation of fluid in the legs.

Further research is now needed to determine if preventing fluid from collecting in the legs during the day-or from shifting to the neck overnight-will help reduce OSA severity.

Click Here To Read More At Reuters…

Super Healthy Tip…

There are so many reasons to break up periods of sitting with some movement: The tendency though, is to move from the car seat, to the office seat, to the cafeteria seat, to the office seat, back to the car seat, then to the lounge seat, then to bed.

Here are some ideas to increase the amount of movement that you do during the day:

1. Use public transport to get to work and make sure you have to walk either to the station, or from the station to the office
2. Make sure you take stretch breaks regularly and actually get out of your seat and go for a short walk, preferably involving some stairs
3. Eat your lunch then get outside of the office building to go for a walk, or a quick game of something physical
4. Do some exercise after work before dinner, or go for a walk with your partner and dog after dinner