With the pandemic on its rise, work from home has become a new working culture. However, there are adverse health effects of being at home and sitting for long hours. Hence, your comfort matters a lot. Suppose your workspace is not helping you expand your business or work well and instead crippling your mood and health. In that case, this article is the right place for you to create ergonomic workspaces and prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive strain injuries.
An ergonomic design helps you reduce the chances of pain and injury in both offices and home offices. With that, your overall satisfaction and productivity increases. You should arrange your office and desk in a way that does not harm your body. For instance, looking down at a computer screen over time will cause tensions in your upper back and shoulders. The pain that occurs is due to the weight of your head being unevenly distributed. If you work from a laptop, consider getting a laptop stand so that your eyes are level with the laptop.
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Office Chair
Choosing an office chair is the first significant step. Back pains and other related health problems can be reduced or eliminated by a proper sitting posture. A poor seat design can be a reason for neck ailments. Eight to fifteen hours spent on an office chair require the chair’s right height and the desk height. An ergonomic chair considers the following factors:
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- It is essential to sit with your feet flat on the floor. Desk height also matters. If the desk is high, you need a taller chair. A footrest would also work in that case to give the right angle to your feet.
- The tilt and recline of the backrest are equally vital to reduce spine stress. A reclined seat reduces the pressure on your back and reduces the pain of people who already have back trouble. Find a chair with synchronous tilt and 135 degrees of back recline.
- The armrests should support the length of your forearm and easy to pivot inwards.
- The chair should be soft with mesh and breathable fabric.
The depth of the office chair and lumbar support also matters in home offices. If your chair is adjustable, you will be able to work well.
Desk In Your Workplace
For people who have a desk job, the desk matters a lot in your workspaces. You will find several designs of desks with different heights and cut-out areas. One of the most crucial ergonomic home office setup factors is desk height.
Your forearms may get strained if the desktop is too high. On the other hand, if the desk is low, it can cause a hunch in your back, straining your shoulders as well. The right desk height is vital to prevent repetitive strain on your back and neck. Here’s how you can check the ideal desk height:
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- If your legs fit comfortably under the office desk and your feet are flat on the floor, it is the right desk. You may also want to cross your legs. So, check the height in an ergonomic desk.
- One can also choose a standing desk if sitting tires and causes pain in the body.
- The angle between the upper and forearm should be between 110 degrees to 90 degrees. Your arms can stay restfully at the office desk.
So, you know now that one can do the work by sitting and standing both. It is also vital to adjust the desk height throughout the day. If you want to prevent repetitive strain and injuries and fight fatigue, altering the posture is the only right way. It is a reason why adjustable height desks and sitting and standing desks are famous for ergonomic workspaces.
Working On Desktops
A laptop is indeed a convenient device as you can carry it anywhere. However, people regret using laptops to work for long hours in home offices. Laptops are not perfect for our bodies and cause spine problems with a severe stoop of body posture. One may, however, use a laptop stand while working for several hours to prevent the strain.
Monitor mounts are available to lift the screen high above the desk. The level of your eyes should reach the top of the screen. If it is so, your monitor or laptop height is ideal.
The problem with a laptop stand is that if you place your laptop on it, the keyboard level would be high for you to type. In that case, buy a keyboard and mouse to use with the screen. It will prevent your wrists from aching, and you can work comfortably.
Lighting Up Your Workspace
You should know that there is task lighting and ambient lighting for the indoors. Ambient light is how dark or bright your room remains typically. But, task lighting refers to the illumination needed in a specific area, preferably in home offices, to ensure light when working on a screen and not in the dark.
The ambient lighting in your workspaces should be right. Ensure that direct sunlight does not shine on the monitor screen from behind to reduce the glare and reflection. On the other hand, ensure that sunlight does not come in from the window behind your computer to avoid any shadow on the work.
This ambient lighting is perfect when you work using paper and pen on a flat surface. A table lamp or adjustable floor can shine directly on your work in the home offices for task lighting.
Ergonomic Keyboard And Mouse
It is essential to ensure that the angle and placement of the ergonomic keyboard and mouse. You may need to buy new devices to add comfort to your workspaces. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and several repetitive strain injuries result from improper positioning of keyboards and mice.
Your sitting posture is perfect only when no body-part feels uncomfortable. Whether you are sitting or standing, your keyboard and mouse should be at a fair distance. The angle also matters, and it should be around 15 degrees and tilted away from your body. Most keyboards today are entirely flat. So, try having a keyboard tray. The desk height and office chair also determine where you should keep your devices. If you don’t want to twist your wrist, use a horizontal mouse.
Having A Healthy Lifestyle
Having adjustable height chairs and tables for your workspaces is a good idea. Using a laptop stand for maintaining the eye level and a separate keyboard and mouse are more ergonomic design ideas for your home offices. But with that, one should keep the lifestyle healthy. Doing regular exercise and eating healthy foods matters a lot.
Eat fish, fruits, and vegetables, and avoid processed foods and carbs. However, there’s no such diet to eliminate repetitive stress injury. Resistance exercises, stretching, and walking for around 30 minutes a day are great ways to stay healthy.
