Fidgeters tap and squirm their way to better health

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI — Researchers at the University of Missouri studied adults who fidget and found it might actually be good for you.

Research shows sitting at your desk in front of a computer for an extended period of time is not good for your health.

Reduced blood flow to the legs could lead to cardiovascular disease.

But did you know that a nervous habit that might be annoying to some could actually get the blood flowing again?

Researchers at the University of Missouri say fidgeting or toe tapping could lead to better health.

"What we found on an average, people performed 250 taps per minutes that resulted in an increase in blood flow during the actual fidgeting," says Jaume Padilla, Ph.D. /Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

University of Missouri researchers studied 11 healthy young men and women before and after three hours of sitting.

Researchers surprisingly found fidgeting increased blood enough to prevent a decline in arterial function.

"We believe that any type of leg movement will be beneficial to the arteries of the lower limbs," says Padilla.

Good news for MU student Nathan Winn who is a constant fidgeter: "so as long as you are not annoying your friends or bothering other people and you can get potential health benefits out of it, then why not do it?"

But Padilla says there is no substitute for walking and exercise, "perhaps in situations where we are stuck in the office or on an airplane, in these situations fidgeting or leg movement may be a good alternative to preserve leg vascular function."

The bottom line…any movement is better than no movement.

The MU fidgeting study was recently published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

Cox Media Group