With the surge in employment industry and increasing work pressures, there has been a boom in the entertainment industry as well. Each medium is emphasising how it’s important to take a break and chill. While adventure and outdoor activities have made a sort of comeback, we hardly see anyone without a phone, even when engaged in adventure. The flips are many.
In a recent study presented in November 2017 at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Anaheim, California, risk of blood clots in the leg veins or lungs was higher in those who reported watching TV “very often” compared with those who reported watching TV “never or seldom.”
Dr Parinita Kaur, consultant, internal medicine, Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, says: “Whenever we are sitting for a long duration, the blood circulation in our veins slows down. This may lead to formation of blood clots, which can block the deep veins of our legs. This can cause pain and swelling in the legs. Often the clots may resolve on their own, but at times these clots can extend throughout the leg veins, or sometimes even dislodge and travel upwards to the heart and lung blood vessels. This can further lead to sudden onset breathlessness, chest discomfort, light headedness and even sudden death. Elderly people, pregnant women, those who are bedbound for various reasons, including those recovering from surgeries, cancer patients, travellers are all at a risk of developing these deadly clots.”
Apart from these clots, sitting for long predisposes one to obesity and its adverse outcomes. So it is recommended that while we all must take these entertainment breaks, we should remind ourselves to not stay glued to our cozy sofas for one movie after the other. It will be ideal if we all had our TV in front of a treadmill or a stationary bike to lead a fuller and healthier life.
Dr Neeraj Bhalla, senior consultant & director in Cardiology Department at BLK Super Speciality Hospital, says: “Watching TV isn’t bad, but we tend to snack and sit still for prolonged periods while watching. Research has found that too much time spent sitting watching TV is linked to an increased risk of blood clots, even if people are getting sufficient amount of exercise. Too much TV viewing has already been associated with heart disease involving blocked arteries, with sedentary behaviour in general also linked with a range of health conditions such as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack, a higher risk of obesity and an increased risk of death.”
Too much TV viewing has a risk of developing a Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), a blood clot which starts in the veins of legs, arms, pelvis and lungs in a western population. The risk of life-threatening clots in both the extremities and those in the lungs also increases with more TV viewing. Although obesity was found to be more common in people who watched more TV, it is found that only 25 per cent of the increased risk of a VTE could be explained by obesity.
The risk of VTE can be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active. It is estimated that between three to six lakhs people in the US develop VTE every year, making it common vascular diagnosis after a heart attack and stroke. Although VTE is more common in people 60 and older, it can occur at any age.