ONNINSTUDIO/Stocksy/Adobe Stock
It’s frustrating to hear about research that suggests sitting is terrible for your health when you have to sit all day for work. But studies have linked sitting for long periods of time to everything from mental health issues to a shorter lifespan, making the connection hard to ignore. Now, new research suggests you’re not totally screwed on the health front if you have a desk job.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, calls out different types of sitting—active and passive—and points out that one in particular may actually help to lower your risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
While it’s still a stretch to say that sitting all day is good for you, the findings are something to consider if you’re worried that your day job is ruining your health. Here’s what the study found, plus how neurologists say you can put the findings to good use to support your brain health going forward.
Researchers discovered that all forms of sitting are not equal.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 85 studies featuring 1,575,657 people that looked at participants’ health and sitting habits. The researchers then drilled down to see what people were doing while they sat, breaking this up into “active” and “passive” sitting.
Active sitting meant doing things that engaged the mind like puzzles, playing card games, reading, or using a computer, while passive sitting included things like watching TV. Ultimately, the researchers discovered that the cognitive impact of sitting depended on the type of sitting people did.
People who did a lot of active sitting had better cognitive health and cognitive functions like executive function and various types of memory, suggesting that active sitting may support healthy cognitive aging. But people who did a lot of passive sitting had an increased risk of developing cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The key message is that not all sitting is the same,” Davide Cappon, PhD, director of neuropsychology at Tufts Medical Center, tells SELF.
Why active sitting can help your brain health.
Your brain thrives on activity and communication, Kinga Szigeti, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at University at Buffalo, tells SELF. “Brain cells are healthier when they do more,” she says. The major difference between active and passive sitting is how much your brain is working in those situations, she explains.
Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, agrees. “There are a lot of activities which can be done while seated—that exclude social media surfing—that likely may be brain healthy,” he tells SELF.
When you engage in active sitting, it targets different skillsets in your brain, including motor function, spatial memory, and executive function, forcing you to think about how you’re going to approach a task and then actually doing it, Dr. Szigeti says. “You’re activating the brain,” she says. “The nerve cells are happier as a result.”
The takeaway for work? What you do while you sit matters. “It depends on what kind of work you do,” Dr. Szigeti says. If you keep doing the same task over and over again without much thought, it’s unlikely to be as helpful for your cognitive health than if you need to problem-solve or actively think while you’re sitting, Dr. Segil says.
That doesn’t mean you’re screwed if your job is highly repetitive. If your job requires a lot of repetition, Dr. Szigeti recommends doing things like counting or talking to others while you do it to engage your mind a little more.
Being physically active is still better for your brain.
If you have the choice between doing something physical or active sitting, neurologists say it’s still best to get up and move. “It is very clear that people who have physical exercise, mental exercise, structure, corrected hearing loss, corrected sleep, and socialization do much better with cognitive health over time,” Dr. Szigeti says. Preliminary research released by the American Academy of Neurology in February also found a link between regularly getting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and a lower risk of developing dementia.
So, it’s still important to get up and move during your workday when you can, knowing that you’re just doing your best. “Being physically active is very, very important,” Dr. Cappon says. “But, if you are sitting, doing certain things is better than others for the brain.”
Related:
Get more of SELF’s great fitness and nutrition reporting delivered right to your inbox (for free!).
Originally Appeared on Self