Everyone’s been there, crouched over a computer, typing away, back throbbing, shoulders hunched, while the hours tick by. If you’ve ever found yourself in this unfortunate situation, you’ve probably considered the merits of standing while you work.
The use of utility office furniture like standing workstations and treadmill desks has recently grown in popularity. Human resources experts observed a 7 per cent rise in the usage of standing desks in the workplace over the past year in response to a poll. Offering a standing desk is one of the healthy alternatives that are easy for businesses to embrace and significantly boosts workplace morale.
How Standing at Your Desk Can Improve Your Productivity and Health
A standing desk is a very useful piece of office furniture that can prove to be a terrific way of maintaining your health while working, whether you do it in a quiet home office or a noisy communal setting. This post has compiled a list of seven reasons why standing desks are better than sitting ones.
Burns Calories
When compared to sitting, standing motionless burns more calories. There isn’t a significant calorie deficit while standing as opposed to sitting. 100-200 calories are burned per hour while standing, but only 60-130 while sitting. But over time, it may mount up.
Gives You an Energy Burst
An analysis of 53 research papers published in the Applied Ergonomics journal showed that having a standing desk promoted workers to spend more time on their feet. British researchers discovered that employees standing for just one hour daily reported feeling more productive and 87% more enthusiastic. The results were so encouraging that they implemented the Smart Work and Life programme to get people moving at the workplace.
Enhances Stance
A standing desk can aid your body in its natural, ergonomic position while using a computer. A monitor should be 20 inches from your face at a 20-degree tilt, and your arms should be bent at a 100-degree angle at your sides. The best posture for typing involves keeping the wrists slightly elevated above the keyboard and moving your body weight between your knees.
Standing often can help you reduce the pressure on your spine more than sitting all day. Extended durations of sitting increase strain on the spine, which can cause pain in the back, shoulders, and neck.
Eases Back Ache
You may attribute your back pain to prolonged periods of sitting, like you may attribute bad posture to your discomfort, yet none of these is inevitable. Back discomfort can be alleviated with a supportive chair and frequent intervals of standing.
Contributes to Proper Wrist Alignment
If you’ve sat with a laptop on your lap while typing, you’ve noticed your wrists start to droop and “rest” on your keyboard. There may be some discomfort and tension at the wrists as a result. Carpal tunnel syndrome, a pinched nerve in the wrist, can be made worse by incorrect wrist positioning (although keyboard use is not linked to CTS, as is commonly believed).
It’s essential to keep your wrists and the rest of your body in mind as you work. Standing desks let you maintain a natural 90- to 100-degree arm bend while working. In addition to being more comfortable, this posture can also increase efficiency.
Maintains Blood Flow
Biologically speaking, humans have always been mobile. Standing is a great way to strengthen your legs, core, and equilibrium. Clots in the legs are another issue that these desks can address. Long periods of sitting can cause blood flow to halt and pool in the legs. There’s a risk of a blood clot developing if things go bad enough.