Getting up and walking around even briefly clears the head and boosts circulation impaired by sitting at a desk or couch all day.

Adults in the United States sit for an average of eight hours a day, said a study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

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Researchers from Indiana University concluded that a five-minute walk around a builiding or floor at work improves long-term overall health.

On the other hand, sitting too long without taking walking breaks may affect arteries in the legs and nerve impulses in the brain, as well as impair blood flow.

Saurabh Thosar, lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, said impairment may come in as little as one hour of sitting. He noted that light physical activity immediately offsets the negative effect.

Eleven non-obese, healthy men aged 30 to 35 years old participated in the study.

The participants were first made to sit for three hours without moving their legs. Their femoral artery function was then measured via ultrasound and a blood pressure cuff.

The second session involved the men sitting for three hours, then taking a break to walk for five minutes at the 30-minute, 1.5-hour and 2.5-hour marks.

Their pace was slow, only at 2 miles per hour at the 30-minute mark, 1.5-hour mark and 2.5-hour mark. 

After their walk, their femoral artery function was again assessed.

What researchers found was that the leg arteries could only expand by as much as 50 percent once men had been sitting for one hour. When they took a walking break, the reduction or harm was removed completely.

Thosar and his team concluded that long-term sitting impairs arterial (endothelial) function in the legs. This impairment can lead to heart disease. Light walking removed this impairment.