Lying Around Too Long May Be Hazardous to Your Health
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Lying around all day isn’t good for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it can lead to serious illnesses, as reported in the European Journal of Epidemiology.
Generally speaking, health experts recommend seven to nine hours of sleep during any 24-hour period.
However, in a study of more than 39,000 Norwegians over 12 years, people who spent anywhere from 11-to-18 hours lying down daily increased their chances of dying from heart disease by more than 90 percent compared to those who were only on their backs for seven hours.
What’s more, the chances of dying from any cause jumped 60 percent among those who lied down 11 hours or more.
The researchers also noted that lying down for extended periods of time, which limits both muscle activity and energy expenditure, also counteracts physical activity people undertake when they’re on their feet.
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