Couch Potato Risks – Inactivity Kills

Everyone knows exercise is good for them, but many don’t realize it’s a matter of life and death. Research has linked sitting for long periods of time (couch potato syndrome), physical inactivity (sedentarism) with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Couch potato health risks

There are many health problems attached to this lifestyle. We cannot identify them separately. The severity of the health conditions varies from one person to other depending on various factors body weight, previous health problems, underlying diseases. Some of the dangerous health problems like

• Increase the risk of fatal blood cells (pulmonary embolism, thrombosis), high cholesterol, high BP which may lead to serious heart diseases like angina, hypertension and also heart attack.
• Maximum chances of obesity and cellulite formation
• Difficult to walk, may also affect spinal cord and also back problems
• Difficult to maintain proper body weight and posture
• During physical inactivity, excessive food intake may happen which may lead to diabetes
• Weak muscles and limbs
• Skin problems

Social Withdrawal

People unable to mingle with their family and friends. They become shy, disinterested and tend to prefer the company of their medium of entertainment such as the TV, computer, laptop mobile or tablet. This can have a severe impact on an individual’s social standing

Memory Loss

A constant and daily routine of leading a sedentary lifestyle can drastically affect an individual’s memory and attention span. People have been reported to become increasingly disoriented and lacking in concentration, after having spent days on end doing absolutely nothing. These people can forget minute facts and instructions and are often found procrastinating a lot. They are also often found in a state of bad hygiene because they tend to devote lesser of their time towards such needs.