Study: Restful Butt Syndrome May Kill You

That couch you're sitting on could be your death bed.

A recent study by the American Journal of Epidemiology has revealed that sitting down for more than six hours a day may lead to early death.

Over a span of 14 years, the American Cancer Society recorded the leisure patterns of 123,216 men and women. At the end of the study they found that of dead men who sat around for more than six hours a day (this included sitting at work and at home), 18% were more likely to die than those who who sat for less than three hours a day. For women it was 37%. And these were the folks who actually get up and try to work out sometimes.

For the real life couch potatoes who spent their spare time smoking and drinking, their mortality rates skyrocketed to 94 percent for women and 48 percent for men.

While the disparities in impacts between men and women are alarming, Alison Hunt, marketing and outreach director for the federal Office on Women’s Heath, could only say it was “disturbing.”

As Hunt told The Loop 21, “"I remember reading that study, and those numbers are disturbing. Especially being a woman."

With 24 hours in a day, it is pretty difficult to find ways to stay off of your ass for most of the day. To combat this, it is suggested that you take “mini-breaks” throughout the day to do light exercises. Another thing you can do is sit on a medicine ball instead of a couch or chair when on the computer or watching television. This works out larger muscles in your back and legs.