@All programmers: "Long-term sitting" attracts health "assassins"? Here are some tips to help you deal with it →

Today is a common holiday for programmers. There is a joke that tells the study journey of programmers: Introduction to X language → Application and practice of X language → Advanced programming of X language → The way of programming → Cervical spondylosis rehabilitation guide. Many people will smile knowingly when they see this joke, thinking of the high-intensity and low-exercise work style of programmers, which seems to make sense. What health problems do programmers generally have?

Refractive error . In 2021, "Chinese Convalescent Medicine" published an article investigating and analyzing the health status of 2,058 male programmers. According to the physical examination data in this article, refractive error has become the disease with the highest detection rate among these programmers, accounting for 17.24% of the surveyed population. Researchers believe that this has a lot to do with programmers facing screens such as computers and mobile phones for a long time. Staring at these electronic screens for a long time can easily induce visual fatigue , and the blue light emitted by computer terminals can also cause refractive errors . The rate of degenerative lesions of the cervical spine caused by long-term exposure to electronic screens is as high as 6.06%.

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Metabolic diseases . Another disease with a high detection rate among programmers is metabolic diseases, of which fatty liver accounts for 10.33%, abnormal liver function accounts for 5.39%, hypercholesterolemia accounts for 4.4%, and hyperlipidemia accounts for 1.55%. This situation may be related to programmers staying up late for a long time, poor sleep quality, irregular diet, unbalanced nutrition, lack of exercise and high mental stress.

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Hemorrhoids and abnormal electrocardiogram . Hemorrhoids and abnormal electrocardiogram are also very common. Hemorrhoids, which account for 5.52%, are not only related to genetics, but also to poor work, diet and bowel habits. Sitting for a long time and having little activity lead to poor blood circulation around the anus, which can easily cause hemorrhoids. Abnormal electrocardiogram is related to staying up late for a long time, fatigue and tension.

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Bacterial infection, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In 2021, the Lancet published a research article on Europeans, stating that "long working hours" alone can cause potential harm to the human body. The study showed that people who work more than 55 hours a week have a 52% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease before the age of 65, and the risk of bacterial infection, diabetes and cardiovascular death will increase.

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If you think about it carefully, the damage to the body caused by programmers working in front of the screen for a long time and sitting for a long time is something that most of us workers have to face, because we all have similar working methods: sitting in front of the computer screen for a long time, and thus accompanied by irregular meals, staying up late and other living habits. However, even in the face of high-intensity work, we still have ways to pry open the door to health.

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1. Avoid sitting for long periods of time . When you need to sit for a long time at work, remember to stand up and move around for 5-10 minutes every 40 minutes or so. Many adults sit most of the time even when they are not working. But more and more studies have shown that uninterrupted sitting can impair glucose metabolism and is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. An article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2020 showed that about 30-40 minutes of exercise a day that makes you sweat is a good way for sedentary people to resist risks, because it can balance the damage caused by 10 hours of sitting. Climbing stairs, walking, doing housework, riding a bike, or playing with pets or children are all good ways to move. In addition, you can also choose to stand for 1 minute every half an hour, or get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour of sitting.

2. Move your shoulders and neck . Avoid working in a fixed position for a long time, move your neck and upper limbs appropriately, and relax and exercise your shoulder and neck muscles. If necessary, you can receive appropriate shoulder and neck massages, but pay attention to the frequency and intensity to avoid accidental injuries.

3. Pay attention to eye hygiene . Choose the right lighting intensity and keep a proper distance from the screen. Do eye exercises or look into the distance every time you work to relieve eye fatigue.

4. Control your diet . Try to choose a combination of meat and vegetables, low-calorie and high-nutrition food, eat more vegetables and fruits, eat an appropriate amount of animal and plant protein, reduce the intake of high-calorie, low-nutrition and sugary drinks, and do not eat or eat less midnight snacks.

5. Be a weekend warrior . Everyone knows the benefits of outdoor sports. If you really can't exercise every day, you can also concentrate on doing it on the weekends. In 2024, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard University published an article on "weekend warriors". The article pointed out that many people will complete a week's worth of exercise (≥150 minutes of medium to high intensity) on weekends because they are busy with work during the week. This weekend warrior exercise pattern can reduce the risk of 264 diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea and other cardiovascular metabolic diseases. This risk reduction effect is equivalent to an evenly distributed exercise pattern during the week. This also reminds us that what is important may be the total amount of exercise, not the exercise pattern. Get moving together!

Author: Member of the China Science Writers Association

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association, National Health Science Popularization Expert

Produced by: Science Popularization China

References:

Ekelund U, Tarp J, Fagerland MW, et al, Joint associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time with all-cause mortality: a harmonised meta-analysis in more than 44 000 middle-aged and older individuals, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020

Shinwan Kany, Mostafa A. Al-Alusi, Joel T. Rämö, James P. Pirruccello et al, Associations of “Weekend Warrior” Physical Activity With Incident Disease and Cardiometabolic Health, Circulation, 2024

Gong Zhihua et al., Survey and analysis of the health status of 2,058 male programmers and countermeasures, Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2021.

Jenni Ervasti, Jaana Pentti, Solja T. Nyberg, et al, Long working hours and risk of 50 health conditions and mortality outcomes: a multicohort study in four European countries, THE LANCET, 2021