Uninterrupted and interrupted sitting in long COVID
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of uninterrupted and interrupted sitting on vascular health and cognitive function in people with Long COVID
IRAS ID
309606
Contact name
James Faulkner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Winchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
People who sit uninterrupted for prolonged periods time have been shown to have poorer cardiovascular health compared to those that regularly interrupt it (e.g. standing up and moving). Cognition and brain function has also been shown to be impaired following uninterrupted sitting. Research has shown that interrupting sitting with exercise improves cardiovascular health in healthy men and women (Paterson et al., 2020) cognition, feeling of fatigue and cerebral oxygenation (Fryer et al., 2021). Low intensity physical activity can help people with Long COVID by reducing feelings of fatigue (Daynes et al., 2021).
Individuals with long COVID have symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog. As such, people with long COVID may spend more time sitting during the day and demonstrate worsened cardiovascular and cognitive health. As such, there may be greater levels of cognitive decline and worsened cardiovascular health outcomes. In this study we are interested in assessing the cardiovascular health and brain function of people with (and without) long COVID before and after uninterrupted and interrupted sitting.
Interruptions will include walking, heel raises and squat movements every 30 minutes for a 120 minute period. To ensure external validity of the project, all interruptions are functional activities which can be reproducible in a home environment. Eligible participants will be aged over 18 years, have displayed symptoms of long COVID for more than 4 weeks, and have been diagnosed with long COVID via their GP or through a long COVID clinic. Involvement in the study will include three visits to a physiology laboratory at the University of Winchester or University of Gloucestershire. Involvement can be expected to last up to 40 days to account for the necessary time required between laboratory visits.
Summary of study results:
This study was led by researchers at the University of Winchester and supported by the University of Gloucestershire. The study was approved by the Health Research Authority (HRA) and Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) (Reference: 22/SC/0120). The researchers declare no conflicts of interest. People with experience of Long COVID were involved in shaping the study design and reviewed the participant materials to ensure they were easy to understand. They also helped make sure the activities used during the study were appropriate and manageable.
The research was carried out in laboratory settings at the University of Winchester and University of Gloucestershire between June 2022 and July 2024. People with Long COVID often experience fatigue and may spend more time sitting than they did before their diagnosis. Sitting still for long periods can raise blood pressure and increase the stiffness of blood vessels, which may affect blood vessel health. In healthy people, short breaks for light movement can help reduce these effects. We wanted to know if people with Long COVID were more affected by sitting and if light activity helped protect their blood vessels.
We aimed to assess:
1. Does sitting still for two hours increase blood pressure or make blood vessels stiffer in people with Long COVID?
2. Can light movement breaks reduce these effects?
3. Do people with Long COVID respond differently to sitting compared to people without Long COVID?A total of 45 adults took part: 30 people with a confirmed diagnosis of Long COVID and 15 healthy people. All were aged 18 or over and had no history of cardiovascular disease or recent COVID-19 infection.
Each person visited the laboratory on multiple occasions. In one visit, they sat quietly for two hours without moving. In the other, they took light movement breaks every 30 minutes. These included standing up, calf raises, and walking. Before and after each visit, we measured their blood pressure and the stiffness of their blood vessels.
What happened during the study?
We used safe and non-invasive tools to measure blood pressure, and a marker of arterial stiffness called pulse wave velocity. We also asked people to wear an activity tracker for one week to measure their usual levels of movement and sitting time. No one had any medical problems or side effects from taking part.Results
• Sitting still for two hours increased blood pressure in all participants.
• Arterial stiffness did not change after sitting.
• Taking light movement breaks did not stop the rise in blood pressure.
• People with Long COVID had similar responses to sitting as healthy people.
• People with Long COVID are more sedentary and engage in less physical activity than healthy controlsWhat do the results mean?
This study suggests that people with Long COVID are not more sensitive to the short-term effects of sitting than healthy people. However, taking short breaks with light activity, such as gentle walking or standing, was not enough to prevent the increase in blood pressure.More research is needed to see whether longer periods of sitting, which may be more representative of the behaviour of those with Long COVID, have the same effect. It may also be helpful to study people closer to their initial infection, as they may respond differently.
What are the next steps?
We hope future research will explore longer sitting periods, and additional measures which may provide a more sensitive insight into isolated periods of sitting.Where can I learn more about this study?
When available, a link to the full article will be shared.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0120
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion