Is standing better than sitting?

The average person sits approximately 10 hours per day. Assuming one gets eight hours of sleep, that’s nearly two-thirds of a person’s awake time. Sitting for extended periods can increase your chances of a variety of diseases, including dementia, and early death. Sitting has even been termed the new tobacco (although, sitting isn’t nearly as dangerous to one’s health as smoking). With all the bad press sitting has gotten, people have turned to anything that isn’t sitting as an alternative. And standing has come out as the clear winner. But is standing better than sitting?

The Rise of Standing

Standing as an alternative to sitting has been on the rise. One only has to walk into an office set-up and you’re sure to see someone with a standing desk. In fact, the standing desk industry was estimated to be worth $7.8 billion in 2023 and will grow to $12.6 billion by 2032. The number of employers giving the option of using a standing desk has also increased to 60% in 2019 and is likely higher today.

There are many different types of standing desks. There’s the simple desk that is just higher. Then there’s the more expensive adjustable desk that changes between sitting and standing height. And then there’s the cheapest of them all—stacking a box or two on your regular desk to rest your computer on.

The Good and Bad of Standing

Using standing desks reduces sitting time. There’s no doubt about that. Standing also burns more calories than sitting. That’s because you use more muscles to stand than sit. But the difference is only about 15%. And because of this, standing may result in small reductions in blood glucose compared to sitting. However, health is not just calories and standing also creates its own set of problems.

Standing for long periods may lead to back pain, and can increase your chances of getting high blood pressure, varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. Whether or not standing increase your chances for heart disease is unclear. One study found on the job standing was associated with twice the chance of heart disease compared to sitting, while another found standing in general had no effect. It may come down to why you’re standing. If you have to stand for long periods because of work, that may be detrimental. On the other hand, if you’re standing and can take breaks when you want, it may be okay.

Sitting is also better at stabilizing your body for when you want to do fine work like drawing or using a computer. Standing doing these activities can lead to greater muscle and skeletal fatigue. So having the opportunity to both sit and stand may be a solution.

Standing is Not Moving

In the end, standing, like sitting, is a form of stationary behaviour. It’s not moving. Despite that, current definitions of sedentary behaviour focus almost exclusively on sitting. But given there’s little difference in metabolic effects between standing and sitting, standing should also be considered a sedentary behaviour.

Compared to movement, standing offers no real benefit. For example, it would take the approximately 2.6 hr/day of standing to result in similar metabolic health as walking for an hour per day or stair climbing for 5 min/day. And staying in one position for a long time, whether sitting or standing, can lead to aching joints. So switching around your posture, such as from sitting to standing and back, can provide joint relief.

In the end, standing itself is no silver bullet to sitting. It’s movement that matters. And the human body is meant to move. Whether you sit or stand, take movement breaks every 20-30 minutes. If you do need to stand for long periods, use an anti-fatigue mat. These mats can help reduce the strain on your lower back and legs.

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