Reducing Sitting Time by 30 Minutes a Day May Lower Blood Pressure by 3.5 Points, According to New Study

It’s no secret that the longer you sit each day, the more health issues you can accumulate. Sitting too much can shorten your life span and increase your chances of developing heart disease, insulin resistance and diabetes. And yet, approximately 81% of American adults sit for four hours or more each day, and, of those people, 26% sit for eight hours or more. 

Thankfully, it doesn’t take much tweaking of your sitting time to see some health benefits, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

How Was the Study Conducted?

This study looked at how reducing sitting time affected blood pressure. A total of 283 racially and ethnically mixed participants were included in this study. They had an average age of 69 and about 66% of them were women. Participants were randomly split into two groups—one group was the intervention group, the other was the control group. 

Data was collected from all participants, including weight, height, blood pressure, medical history, medications and demographics. 

The control group received 10 health-coaching sessions, either in-person or via telephone, over six months. They also received a workbook. At each health-coaching session, participants chose one topic to review from a list of relevant healthy-living topics—like fall prevention, healthy eating and sleep—and set topic-related goals.

The intervention group received what was called the I-STAND intervention, which was based on several psychological theories—including motivational interviewing and social cognitive theory. I-STAND participants also received 10 health-coaching sessions and a workbook, plus an accelerometer (which is basically a fancy pedometer that tracks all movement, not just steps), a generic wrist-worn fitness band and a tabletop standing desk. They also received feedback reports after wearing the accelerometers at baseline and at three months. This data provided objective evidence of participants’ activity levels, as opposed to them tracking activity themselves. 

I-STAND participants set individualized goals on how they would reduce sitting time by standing more and taking frequent sitting breaks. These participants were trained on how to develop personalized reminder systems to get up. These reminders consisted of internal reminders—like noticing muscle stiffness—external reminders from the fitness-band prompts, and habit reminders to help them add standing to habitual activities to break automatic and habitual sitting patterns—like reading the newspaper at the standing desk instead of sitting down to read it.

What Did the Study Show?

After six months, the data was collected and adjusted to increase validity, and several statistical analyses were performed. 

On average, sitting time in the I-STAND group decreased by about 32 minutes a day. This group also experienced a reduction in their systolic blood pressure (the top number in the blood pressure reading) by, on average, 3.5 mm Hg (which is the point system with which blood pressure is measured). The control group saw no statistically significant changes in sitting time or blood pressure.

According to the study authors, the change in blood pressure from reducing daily sitting time by 30 minutes over six months was similar to what is seen in other interventions. They state that other studies indicate that aerobic physical activity can reduce systolic blood pressure by 4 mm Hg, the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet by 5.2 mm Hg, and weight loss by 3 mm Hg.

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

Ironically, the initial goal of the researchers was to reduce the intervention group’s sitting time by two hours a day for the six-month study period. And even though they only reduced sitting time by about 30 minutes, this study shows that even that can have significant improvements in blood pressure. So just imagine what health improvements you might experience if you decrease sitting time even more than what these participants did. I love my stand-up desk for this reason!

Also notice that the intervention group received deeper-mindset training than the control group did. All lasting habit change starts in the brain. If you don’t work on your mindset—including finding your deeper “why” you want to make this change, being aware of your current habits and considering your obstacles to change—you reduce your chances of success for making the new habits stick.

A practical method for integrating a new habit is to habit-stack. The participants in the intervention group used this when they stood to read the newspaper. Reading the newspaper was already a habit they had established. Since they were trying to establish the new habit of standing more, they combined the two. 

As I write this, I’m standing at my desk—which combines my habit of writing with standing. To stack another habit onto these, I also do squats, leg lifts, heel lifts and walk in place to integrate more movement into my day. It also helps me be more cognizant of my posture and prevents the muscle stiffness that accompanies sitting too long.

The Bottom Line

This study suggests that reducing your sitting time by about 30 minutes a day may improve systolic blood pressure by about 3.5 mm Hg. Reducing your sitting time more may yield even greater results, along with getting into the habit of walking or following a heart-healthy eating pattern, like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet. Changing your habits begins with your mindset. And stacking your habits is an easy, practical way to start making small changes to your routine.