Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.
– James Joyce
Looking for a little motivation to get moving?
Sitting or being sedentary for 15 hours per day increases Dementia by a whopping 320%.
Being inactive for eight or more hours a day may dramatically increase chances of Dementia. Eight hours may sounds like a lot of time being sedentary, but it’s statistically common for many Americans to be stationary for most of the day.
The Journal of American Medical Association says “Half of U.S. adults spend more than 9.5 hours of their day sitting, including more than 80% of their leisure time.”
The American workday and lifestyle often results in the majority of waking hours spent sitting.
If someone works at a desk job for eight hours and then goes home to watch television or scroll social media for two more hours, that totals 10 hours a day of physical inactivity and a 63% elevated chance of Dementia.
What does the research say about being sedentary and Dementia?
In this retrospective study, researchers collected data from 50,000 adults aged 60 and older with no clinical diagnosis of dementia and measured average physical activity levels for seven years.
414 individuals were diagnosed with dementia and total hours spent sedentary was associated with a higher risk.
How many hours of being sedentary does it take to increase risk of Dementia?
- 10 hours per day had an 63% higher risk
- 12 hours had a 95% higher risk
- 15 hours per day had a whopping 320% higher risk
- The more time spent sedentary drastically increased the risk of Dementia.
How much of the American population is sedentary?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that Americans spend between 6.5 and 8 hours per day sitting down, on average. That number is steadily increasing, as was recently confirmed by JAMA.
According to the CDC people with demanding desk jobs, chronic illnesses or depression spend average of 12 hours per day sedentary.
The researchers reported that total time spent sedentary was associated with dementia risk regardless of whether you break up your day with small amounts of movement or not. However in all cases, the less time spent sitting, the lower the risk of Dementia.
What can be done to prevent increasing your odds of getting Dementia?
“If you want to prevent dementia, you gotta get moving!”
– Max Lugavere
“If you want to prevent dementia, you gotta get moving!” says Max Lugavere, brain health expert, top health podcaster and author of several NY Times best-selling books about diet, exercise, the brain and Dementia.
Lugavere suggests “instead of worrying about taking regular breaks, which, granted, is better than nothing at all, try integrating movement into your day wherever you can.” He adds “For me, in addition to regular workouts at the gym, I’ll take phone calls outside, listen to podcasts while walking on a treadmill and try and stand at my desk whenever possible. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just do it.”
