There are a lot of jobs that require its employees to have some computer skills. It is a landmark machine that has populated billions of desks spaces around the world. Its versatility allows its users to be productive and handle multiple tasks. Spending more than eight hours of their daily lives can make them accomplish a lot of things, but that could be a burden on their health.
Sitting or maintaining a stationary position for extended periods can be detrimental to your body. You are supposed to be moving about so you can be flexible and develop muscles, but not moving a lot encourages you to have a sedentary lifestyle that can give you a host of conditions. Chief among these are chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
If you do not have an active lifestyle, that can also have a negative effect on your back. What could worsen or accelerate some problems would be improper posture. That is why it is important for you to put the focus on improving your ergonomics and expanding your space.
The Basics of Ergonomics
The road to having a healthy back is through ergonomics. Your workspace should promote efficiency while servicing the needs of your body. You should be positioned in such a way that you are able to move your limbs and head conveniently. If you somehow feel a little awkwardness or strain whenever you do something as simple as moving your mouse or typing on your keyboard, then you should think about modifying things within your workspace that would make your mobility easy and seamless.
The Chair
The role of the chair is to properly distribute the weight of your body. You should ideally be sitting for about two hours at a time. Doing that too long could introduce some problems with your muscular and skeletal systems. Remember that your heaviness is a force that constantly pushes down on you, so you have to move around so your blood circulation will continue to move smoothly. Otherwise, your nerves will get constricted and force them to work harder, which increases your blood pressure above normal levels. Due to this, this can rupture your vessels and cause permanent damage. This will also put you at risk of getting a heart attack or suffering a stroke.
Your chair should have ample support for your whole spine. The lumbar area is crucial because it is often neglected when you slouch. Although this is part of the lower back, neglecting it could lead to neck pain and headaches. You can credit that to the backbone housing the largest veins in the body, and if that is affected you will feel it throughout your body.
It does not matter if your office chair has mesh or foam cushions. The ideal one should let you adjust its height and has armrests that will help keep your elbow relaxed. It would also be much better if that is adjustable so that your elbows stay at the right angle.
Monitor Height
If there is a mismatch between your monitor’s height and your eye level, Your neck will be in for a bad time. Most of the screens today have adjustable features such as height and angle. For those that do not have these options, you have to improvise. You can raise your monitor up to your desired level by placing wood slabs or books underneath its base. There are arm mounts you can clamp at the side of your desk that are VESA compatible. If the rear part of your model has screw holes that support that, it basically increases its customizability. With this add-on, you will be able to swivel and tilt the screen to your heart’s content.
Desktop Space
When you are working at your desk, you should be able to have ample room for mobility. You should have a wide enough surface where you can rest your arms and do other activities such as writing notes or browsing some reading materials. Having a cramped desktop can be counterproductive because you often will have to contend with the things that obstruct you from doing your tasks. You could end up using much of your time rearranging your stuff instead of doing actual work. Managing your space is all about having the provisions to do whatever you want with minimum to no hassle.
You may not notice it, but if you have a less-than-ideal desk setup at work, it can hurt you and your profession in the long run. It is wise to invest in stuff that can improve your ergonomics. When you do that, your back and your employers will be thankful.
