HYDERABAD: Do you know there is something called ‘Sitting Disease’? It’s a condition in which people spend just three hours of the day standing as the rest of the hours go for sitting and sleeping. The results can be disastrous if this continues for long. And it seems that lockdown and the strict measures that it has brought with itself even in the aftermath of the #Unlockdown4.0 has cost corporate executives dear.
Reason? Lockdown brought with it Work From Home (WFH) which has forced people to be constantly glued to their computer screens not just for work but for movie/TV series marathons as well. That’s how 25-year-old Abhilash, who works as the operations manager for a popular food app found himself struggling to climb the stairs to his flat which is on the second floor of a housing apartment in Red Hills. The next thing he shares is that he was sweating profusely.
“I was almost breathless. I never felt so tired in my entire life. That’s when I scheduled an appointment with a doc. I am awaiting the reports hoping that no serious ailment has taken its root in my body,” says the young executive. And he’s not alone several in the city are facing similar symptoms along with weight gain.
Walk and exercise
Several organisations have not opened their premises for the employees to work from desks till January.WFH option is given to maintain zero contact with others. While many welcome the move as it gives them more time to spend with family, the same has led to long hours of sitting in a bad posture.
To quote Dr Keith Diaz pulmonologist at Columbia University Medical Center, “Sitting increases your risk of death, regardless of whether you exercise or not. If you sat for over 12 hours on a given day, your risk of death increased substantially.” The medical doctors in the city agree.
Says Dr B Sujeeth Kumar, consultant surgeon, Dept of General, Surgical GI and Laparoscopic Surgery, Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, “For the past few months due to forced house-arrest and social isolation people are not able to cope up with the situation. They are not only sitting for long hours in front of their screens but also sleeping really late. After sunset, the metabolism decreases which means the intestines function slowly. It can lead to fat deposits in vital organs especially liver which forces the heart to work extra hard creating more pressure on it which can be fatal.
Some may also develop a hernia. So, it’s advisable that people do at least 45 minutes of exercise every day to keep their body moving. It’s also quite important that they finish dinner by 7 pm and consume less water post sundown. A good night’s sleep by 10.30 pm is ideal for the body to feel energised and fresh the next day.” For increasing immunity, lymphatic circulation has to be in check. “Body doesn’t have lymph pump when you move it moves. That’s why joint movements because lymph circulation removes bacteria a virus thus boosting immunity. Not just walking, indulging in aerobics is important. Regular water drinking helps lymph circulation and movement. Bitter foods like karela improve its circulation,” he adds.
Home food, best food
Other than focusing on exercise and eating simple food on time trainers are also being phoned for tips on calmness. Says celebrity fitness trainer Kiran Dembla, “People are in a panic mode which is affecting their mental health big time. That’s when deep breathing techniques and meditation helps. People can exercise in their chairs as well or in their drawing rooms. Forty minutes of exercise every day really helps. Also, a simple home-cooked dinner eaten on time changes a lot for your overall health.” WFH has made many people eat only home-cooked food as a result of which they have lost their weight. Says Dr Krishna Reddy Pingle, consultant radiologist, Sunshine Hospitals, “I have several patients, who reported that their weight has come down ever since they stopped eating outside. The good part is that they have also combined their dietary habits with exercise.”
Lockdown and Work From Home led to binge eating, constant sitting in front of laptop screens coupled with no-exercise which has attracted lifestyle ailments in denizens. We find out what docs have to say about beating the ‘sitting disease’ syndrome
— Saima Afreen saima@newindianexpress.com @Sfreen