Fidgeting: Helps Lower Mortality Risk When Sitting All Day

It's only human nature that after sitting for extended periods, you might start fidgeting a bit. Recent studies have shown that an increasingly sedentary lifestyle where humans are typically chained to a desk has been killing them slowly over the years. 

Fortunately, recent findings reveal that fidgeting actually helped to counteract some of the health risks associated with extended sitting. 

In this recent study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers examined data from the University of Leeds' UK Women's Cohort Study, which involved 12,778 women between the age of 37 and 78 collected between 1998 and 2002, as well as followup data gained from surveys sent to women over the next 12 years.

The data showed that even among adults who met the recommended physical activity levels and who slept for eight hours per night, many spent the fast majority of their day sitting (up to 15 hours or more.)

Women who mostly sat still for 7 or more hours per day were found to have a 30 percent increase in mortality, while those reporting moderate to high fidgeting while seated showed no increased risk of mortality. However, researchers noted no difference in the effects of fidgeting seen between the middle and high groups.

"While further research is needed, the findings raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such simple movements are beneficial for our health," noted co-lead author Professor Janet Cade, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, in a news release.

At the end of the study, researchers suggest that employees try and keep track of how long they're sitting for and even offer standing desks for employees or extended breaking periods that allow for time to walk or perform other types of exercise.

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