How Long Can you Stand On One Leg? Balance Offers Vital Info About Health

So, can you stand on one leg without needing to hold onto anything?

And if you're one of those lithe yoga bunnies, can you hold your pose for longer than 20 seconds?

How about with your eyes closed?

Yeah, that's where it all falls apart for us too.

But other than making you look silly, holding yourself up on one leg could be a very important indicator of your overall health, it turns out.

A study published in a journal called Stroke has demonstrated that balance and gait are strongly linked with your cognitive status.

In other words, the way you walk and your ability to balance can tell you a lot about your brain function.

"One-leg standing time is a simple measure of postural instability and might be a consequence of the presence of brain abnormalities," said Dr. Yasuharu Tabara, associate professor at the Center for Genomic Medicine.

Dr Tabara led the research at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicinein Japan.

The team gathered together a sample group of over 800 women and 400 men at an average age of 67 years old.

Those who could not balance on one leg for more than 20 seconds registered as much more at risk of cerebral small vessel disease - a type of small stroke that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked.

These small strokes might not present any symptoms at the time, but they can lead to much bigger strokes and general cognitive decline later down the line.

"Our study found that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test for brain health," said Dr Tabara.

The UK's Medical Research Council discovered, not so long ago, that those who could stand on one leg, for more than 10 seconds, with their eyes closed, had the best chance of being fit and healthy 13 years later.

On the other hand, though, the same research claimed that those who couldn't repeat the same balance test for more than two seconds, were likely to die before the age of 66!

So, if your doctor hasn't made you stand on one leg recently, it might be time to take matters into your own hands and perform this test for yourself!

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So, how long can you hold a one-legged pose with your eyes closed? Let us know how you get on in the comments!