A new study looked at how different ways of moving throughout the day are connected to heart health.
It seems that just sitting all day long is one of the worst things you can do in terms of health.
Let's find out why it's even better to sleep than to sit all day long.
How it was studied
Cardiovascular disease, involving heart and circulation issues, is a major global cause of death, sometimes even one in three cases.
The number of individuals affected has become two times bigger since 1997 and is expected to rise.
Using thigh-worn devices, researchers tracked participants' 24-hour activities and assessed heart health.
Results highlighted that moderate-vigorous activity was significantly better for heart health, followed by light activity, standing, and also sleeping.
Even replacing 5 minutes of just sitting with light activity had positive effects.
Researchers stressed that small changes in movement patterns can improve heart health, such as substituting sitting with a brisk walk for a minute or two.
They noted that individuals of all abilities can benefit, but the lower the activity intensity, the longer it takes to see improvements.
Small changes matter
Even tiny changes, like using a standing desk for a few hours, can help over time.
While this experiment can't say movement directly causes better heart health, it adds to the evidence that being active, especially with moderate to vigorous activity, is good for your heart.
The scientists suggest that more studies over a long time will help understand the connections better and give personalized recommendations for staying active.
