You've probably heard that smoking is bad for your health. Advertisement campaigns have instilled in us the belief that if you want to live a better life, you should avoid smoking. It's working; people are becoming more aware of the consequences of smoking.

However, there is another silent killer lurking in the shadows: lack of physical activity. This is a very recent problem, and the health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle can be catastrophic. In this article, we have gathered seven ways a sedentary lifestyle can affect your health.

1. Fatigue
Indeed, tiredness may be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, a poor diet, and hormonal abnormalities. Sedentary behavior, on the other hand, contributes to excessive exhaustion. The more you sit around, the more exhausted you'll become. This is due to the body becoming "deconditioned," which can take as little as a few days.

2. Weight gain
It is important to understand that the more time you spend sitting, the fewer calories you burn and, as a result, the more likely you are to gain weight. Sitting over extended periods of time not only causes weight growth but may also cause significant weight gain in the form of obesity. 

Obesity, in turn, can lead to the development of various health issues like cardiovascular problems, back pain, diabetes type 2, varicose veins, etc. Your odds of being fat increase as your lifestyle becomes more sedentary. Obese people spend an additional 2 hours per day sitting than the normal person. 

3. Repetitive stress syndromes, back pain, and neck discomfort
Lumbar and cervical discomfort, as well as posture problems, are particularly frequent as a result of sitting and staring at computer screens. Back discomfort and repeated stress are, in fact, the leading causes of disability and job absence. Carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, can be caused by spending too many hours sitting and working at a desk.

4. Depression
A sedentary lifestyle can also have an impact on your mental health. The body enjoys movement and responds to it by releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that communicates pleasure in the brain. Sedentary behavior and a lack of sunshine, on the other hand, feed sadness. 

As people become more sedentary, they may lose their capacity to be as active or mobile, which can lead to sadness. Is it sedentary behavior or sadness that arrives first? It's a delicate situation since it may go either way. However, you should be aware that sedentary behavior and clinical depression are frequently associated.

5. Repetitive stress syndromes, back pain, and neck discomfort
Lumbar and cervical discomfort, as well as posture problems, are particularly frequent as a result of sitting and staring at computer screens. Back discomfort and repeated stress are, in fact, the leading causes of disability and job absence. Carpal tunnel syndrome, for example, can be caused by spending too many hours sitting and working at a desk.

6. Arteriosclerosis and hypertension
If you live a sedentary lifestyle, your body will not get the exercise it needs to keep in good form. Plaque starts to build up along your blood vessels at this point. They become thicker and lose their flexibility as a result of this. 

When blood has to push its way down restricted pathways, it puts too much pressure on the blood vessels and this results in high blood pressure. This issue is defined as a measurement of 140/90 mm Hg or above. High blood pressure restricts blood flow to the heart, which can lead to problems with the heart.

7. Poor sleep
Not getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours) can affect your metabolism, impair your immune system, increase your chance of dying young, and more. And the idler you are, the worse your sleep will be. For example, if you spend more than 11 hours a day sitting or laying down, it can affect both the quality and amount of your sleep. Excessive sedentary behavior also increases the risk of insomnia.