Over the past several decades, we have become less physically active and more sedentary during working hours. Nowadays, there’s little need for anyone to get up and walk across a room to do their work due to advancements in technology and communications. With so many people staring at their phones during their lunch hour and sighing if they have to climb stairs, obesity and lethargy are on the rise.
Along with standing and moving every so often to get away from your desk, there are office furniture trends designed to encourage movement.
Nowadays, height-adjustable desks are a popular addition to the modern office. Standing up is as easy as sitting down.
Shifting the body’s position and posture occasionally is necessary not just for effective blood circulation, but also for keeping the mind active.
Following is a list of the top seven health benefits of height-adjustable desks. These will make you wonder how you worked without them before.
Reduced back pain
The most common complaint among office workers is back pain. A lower back injury may be caused by physical or psychological stress.
Stand-up desks have been shown to benefit employees suffering from chronic back pain greatly. Standing desks can reduce upper back and neck pain by as much as 54 percent in just four weeks, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
It is also true in reverse. Taking away standing desks can lead to the benefits of a height-adjustable or flexible desk being reversed in just two weeks by sitting longer again.
The use of adjustable desks increases productivity
Among the main concerns of those unfamiliar with height-adjustable desks is their ability to negatively impact routine tasks such as typing.
Having a height-adjustable desk lowers your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases
It has been proposed as far back as 1953. It was found that in a study comparing bus conductors to bus drivers, the conductors had a half the risk of heart disease-related death as their sedentary counterparts.
The results of this study were what sparked curiosity about sedentary lifestyles and cardiovascular health.
Studies have shown that prolonged sitting increases a person’s risk of heart disease by 147 percent. A sedentary lifestyle is so harmful that no amount of exercise can reverse those effects fully.
Standing while working may lengthen your life
In addition to the risk of early death mentioned earlier, sedentary lifestyles have been linked to type II diabetes and heart disease.
A person who exercises more is more likely not only to lose weight but also to improve their health. Several studies have shown that simply decreasing sitting time by three hours per day can increase the life expectancy of the average American by two years.
The relationship between more movement and longer life expectancy needs more research, but past studies and currently available evidence suggest that standing more can enhance health overall.
Adjustable height provides many health benefits
It is not advisable to switch from sitting to standing too suddenly, just as you wouldn’t switch from one form of physical activity to another.
Electric standing desks are easier to move between sitting and standing positions. That’s why usually they are more preferred than manual ones.
You will likely feel pain in your legs, back, neck, or feet if you do this. You should start by slowly increasing the amount of time you stand per day, starting with 30 to 60 minutes per day.
Ensure that you don’t stand too much all at once by setting a reminder to remind you to switch from standing to sitting.
Also, you will need to find out which tasks you are better able to perform while standing versus seated. Using a height-adjustable or standing desk in this manner will make it easier to complete daily tasks. By using electric adjustable desk you can easily switch between both positions.
The introduction of height-adjustable or standing desks in the workplace should be viewed as a means of providing employees with another option for desk seating.
Also, users should follow these steps to ensure they get the most out of this new work arrangement:
- Maintain a straight posture.
- Ideally, their upper arms should hang vertically downward.
- The lower arm and upper arm should form a right angle.
- You should tilt your head and eyes about 30-35 degrees.