If you are someone who spends most of your day behind a desk at work or at home, chances are you know how awful this makes you feel at the end of your workday. Here are some helpful tips to create a more ergonomic and comfortable workspace or gaming setup. Poor ergonomic practices may lead to a less productive work environment and physical pain.
To reduce the risk of injuries or physical pain after a long day at work or behind your desk at home, you can create a more ergonomic workplace or setup. Here are some tips you can implement in only a few minutes. These changes may help you in the long run.
Adjust the height of your desk
A good working posture is the key to a more comfortable workplace. As you are setting up the hardware, you need to take a look at the height of your personal desk. You need to be able to sit or stand behind the desk with your knees and elbows at square angles. This neutral body position prevents pressure on the joints.
Your desk also hekps you measure the height of your monitor, keyboard and mouse. Keep in mind that you have to position your elbows close to your upper body. Everything has to be in reach, so a large desk is not recommended.
Change the position of your monitor
To keep your shoulders and back relaxed, you need to have the monitor positioned at the correct height, distance and angle. You want your monitor to be about one arm lenght away from where you are sitting. It is best to position the monitor at the same height as your eyes so you do not have to look down too often. This relieves the stress on your neck. You can increase the height of your monitor by stacking a few books under the stand.
To reduce the number of reflections on the screen, you can tilt the monitor. Keep in mind that if you use multiple monitors, you have to adjust your desk setup to your personal preferences. If you use both monitors often, it is best to place them in front of you. If you use a monitor more often, it’s best to put it centrally in front of you with the second screen more to the side.
A different keyboard and mice position
After you have positioned your monitor, it is time to take a closer look at the peripherals. You want your mouse and keyboard to be as close together as possible. Most keyboards use an assymetrical design, so you want to use the right side of the spacebar as a point of reference. The right side of the spacebar should be in front of you.
It is preferred to adjust your seat height until you can use the keyboard and mouse when your elbows are bent at a 90 degree angle. Bending your wrists to type should be avoided at all cost because it puts too much stress on the joints and may cause physical pain or injuries.
You better position the computer mouse in front of you to reduce the angle your arm and elbow have to travel to the left or right to mouse the poiner on your screen. An increase in sensitivity may reduce the length of the movements of the mouse.
Reducing repetitive movement
Take a closer look at the task that you perform behind your desk. Some tasks may be required more frequent than others. Repeating the same motion over and over is going to cause stress on your joints and muscles and increases the risk of injuries.
Choose a comfortable chair
An adjustable office chair is your best friend. To be able to keep a neutral body position behind the desk, you will need to adjust the seat height of the chair. Both legs need to be at a 90 degree angle while sitting in the chair with both feet flat on the floor. Arm rests may help you relax when you are not typing.
The correct seat height is good, but your back requires enough support. Some chairs even have an adjustable back rest height. If your chair does not come with a back rest, you can use a rolled-up towel behind your back. Please keep in mind that a comfortable and soft fabric is preferred if you plan to spend most time behind the desk.
Take frequent breaks
Other ergonomic accessoiries such as footrest and wrist rests help you create an even more ergonomic and comfortable workplace or gaming setup. If you need to read a lot of printed documents, you better use a document holder to reduce the stress on your neck and back while reading.
To reduce the stress on your eyes, you may need to look away from the monitor every 15 minutes to focus on something in the distance. This forces the eye to adjust and prevents eye fatigue. Frequent breaks are required to ensure a proper blood circulation. After an hour of work, you have to walk for 5 minutes. Use this time to ask a question to a colleague or take a document out of the printer.
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