Standing desks may be bad for your health, study suggests | Hacker News Reader

Standing desks may be bad for your health, study suggests

theguardian.com

38 pointsn1b0m18 comments

It's not so binary. I don’t know anyone who uses a standing desk and just stands still in one spot all day without breaks or without alternating between sitting and standing. The movement itself is beneficial for circulation.

I've been using a treadmill desk for the past 8 years and have a stool that I switch between. I'm constantly moving, and the standing desk encourages even more activity throughout the day.

Nurses, who are on their feet for much of the day, tend to live longer than office workers who spend most of their time sitting.

https://www.asrn.org/journal-nursing-today/291-nurses-at-ris...

I don't alternate between standing and sitting. I've been using stand-up desks for the last 18 years or so.

I used to alternate between standing and lying on the floor in various yoga poses, pigeon was a common one (I worked from home), but once I got back to working in an office about 14 years ago, it was all standing all the time.

Of course, I sit when I'm in meetings, but that's probably only an hour or so a day. I sit at lunch, and I'll regularly take an afternoon break where I'll sit for 30 minutes or so.

There is a difference with nurses being that instead of being static, they will walk and move most of the day.

You can easily see the difference of walking through a city that you visit for a day, versus standing still for 3 hours in a concert hall.

It's like for the risk of thrombosis when you take an airplane, just standing regularly will not help that much. It is the body movement of walking that will enable blood circulation in the body.

I use a motorized desk, but I'm realistically only standing about a quarter of the time. Standing is great for "thinking on your feet" but it is hard on the heels after a while.

My setup (which is just a solid core door on top of a generic motorized frame) is nice because I can press a button and rapidly change to a different position. The main benefit is that a motorized desk setup, combined with an adjustable VESA monitor arm, and an adjustable drafting stool, provides a tailored ergonomic position whether I'm sitting or standing. Wrists, elbows, back, neck, and eyes are all in a stress-free position.

I can relate to the struggle of standing for too long; it’s nice for thinking or moving around, but it definitely takes a toll on your feet and legs

I’m not convinced by this study at all. I’d like to know whether the risk of circulation-related issues was more applicable to people already at risk for those issues. I use a standing desk almost daily and it’s really alleviated my spinal issues, along with making me feel more energised throughout the day.

I’ve had one for years even though I did wonder about if it was truly better for my health. But the reason I like it is I just like to stand every hour or so for maybe 5, 15 or 20 minutes. This seems to just feel better which is a good enough reason for me to continue using one.

I got one, not because I wanted to stand (which I do from time to time), but because full height adjustability is so convenient.

It’s nice to have that flexibility to switch things up throughout the day, whether you feel like standing or sitting.

The takeaway about incorporating regular movement throughout the day makes a lot of sense. It's a reminder that it's not just about how we position ourselves at our desks but also about the importance of staying active overall

That's why I strap my laptop to a deer.

Oh deer... I use a laptop stand for my posture so I'm not hunched over. It's trickier when traveling but I recently discovered collapsible stands that I can bring with me

Running is healthy, for you and the deer.

I really don't see the problem here.

Had a standing desk before, and a treadmill desk. Didnt really feel like it was a massive improvement, if anything I couldnt do work for a prolonged period of time like sitting and i used to go for walks to take breaks. With standing desks you dont really build this habit per say since your always standing

You just need to get your standing desk outside :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDndd_EzkgA

It's clear that anyone sitting at a desk for full-time work will need to get up and get active in their off-hours to make up for all that sedentary time.

It's also clear that many humans cope well with workdays entirely on their feet: laborers, restaurant workers, store clerks. But many of these jobs and roles feature a lot of good exercise: at least there's walking around, lifting, moving objects. So it is natural to assume that these sorts of workers get plenty of exercise on the job, and they can relax during their time off, without needing a lot of gym memberships or home equipment.

Now we come to standing desks: so you're on your feet for the workday and you may have a better ergonomic stance. You won't get hemorrhoids or DVT or numbness, or whatever nasty stuff comes from sitting a lot. But neither are you really moving around! You're just standing there supporting your own bodyweight. If you're overweight, this may prove to be a chore in itself.

So when a standing-desk professional finishes work, logic indicates that they'll need to also hit the gym, or swimming pool, or do some sort of real exercise, because they were essentially stationary. Yet, they've been on their feet all day! Aren't they fatigued?

"You won't get hemorrhoids or DVT or numbness, or whatever nasty stuff comes from sitting a lot."

According to this study using a standing desk without moving will increase your chance of developing DVT over sitting.

in other news, a long distance runner recently ran for forty days straight (?) with her support team feeding here 300 calories an hour. It was along the Appalachian Trail IIR. I wonder how many studies they do that cover that?

Your body will do what you train it to do, overall. YMMV!

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