People who sit for long periods—more than 14 hours a day—may face a much higher risk of having another heart problem or even dying within a year after a hospital visit for chest pain or a heart attack. That’s the finding of a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
The research followed more than 600 adults aged 21 to 96 who had recently gone to the emergency department in New York City for signs of a heart attack. After leaving the hospital, participants wore a wrist device called an accelerometer for 30 days to track their daily movement and sitting time.
These devices are more accurate than asking people to remember how much they moved, as they detect physical activity in all directions—forward, side-to-side, and up and down.
Lead author Dr. Keith Diaz from Columbia University explained that while current recovery advice focuses on encouraging exercise after a heart event, this study looked at whether sedentary behavior itself—sitting or lying down while awake—could be harmful.
The findings were striking: people who moved the least had a 2.58 times higher risk of having another heart problem or dying within a year, compared to those who were the most active.
On average, the least active group sat for 15.6 hours a day, did only 2.7 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, and slept for 6.6 hours. In contrast, the most active group sat for about 11.7 hours, moved more, and got more sleep.
Even small changes made a big difference. Replacing just 30 minutes of sitting with:
- Moderate or vigorous activity (like brisk walking or swimming) lowered the risk by 61%
- Light activity (such as slow walking or light chores) lowered the risk by 50%
- Sleep lowered the risk by 14%
That means simple activities like walking, doing the dishes, or gardening can greatly reduce your risk after a heart-related emergency. Even more surprising, replacing sitting with sleep helped, likely because rest is important for recovery after a serious health scare.
Dr. Diaz emphasized that patients don’t need to run marathons to improve their health. “Sitting less and moving or sleeping a little more can make a real difference,” he said. “Our study supports a more flexible and personalized approach to physical activity after a heart attack.”
Other experts agreed. Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs, a heart health researcher not involved in the study, said the findings back a “sit less, move more” strategy—especially for those who may find traditional exercise programs too difficult after a hospital stay. “Replacing just 30 minutes of sedentary time with light activities like cooking or walking your dog can cut your risk in half,” she said.
The study included mostly Hispanic and Black participants and had a nearly equal split between men and women. About 8% of participants experienced another heart event or died within a year.
However, the researchers noted a few limitations: they didn’t collect detailed social or economic background information, nor did they track whether people went home or to rehab after their hospital visit, which could affect recovery.
Despite these gaps, the study makes one thing clear: sitting for too long after a heart scare can be dangerous. But the solution doesn’t have to be intense workouts. Even small increases in daily movement or sleep could make a huge impact on heart health—and save lives.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top 10 foods for a healthy heart, and how to eat right for heart rhythm disorders.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to cleaner arteries, and salt and heart health: does less really mean more?
The research findings can be found in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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