For years now, many of us have been spending hours and hours sitting and working on the computer every single day. In many ways, technology has changed our lives for the better, making a lot of things easier, creating unimaginable opportunities, opening new forms of communications, bringing the world closer together. However, it has also tied us to the chair with our eyes always stuck to the screen. And while someone uses computers only recreationally, there are millions of people across the globe who don’t have a choice because they are using them for work.
All of this comes with a lot of consequences causing all kinds of health issues, affecting our eyes, our minds and our body. In short, all of this is what has made sedentary life the new smoking, as it is often said. Thankfully, there are many ways to improve your workplace environment and many products that can help people who have to spend a long period of time every day working on the computer.
An ergonomic workplace typically consists of an ergonomic chair and a height-adjustable table. However, to make your office even more comfortable, as well as health and productivity-boosting space, you can purchase several other ergonomic products, including an ergonomic footrest, an ergonomic mouse, an ergonomic keyboard, etc., to counter the negative effects of this present-day phenomena.
Ergonomic Footrest
Ergonomic products intended for working on the computer always aim to make sitting at a desk or workstation more comfortable. We can say that ergonomic footrests are primarily used to increase comfort. However, the true value of this product is that it will have a positive impact on your overall health.
As the name suggests, when you use an ergonomic computer footrest, you can rest your feet on it, which helps in several ways. They are especially important if you can’t put your feet on the floor comfortably – for instance, if the chair can’t go low enough. Essentially, spending long periods of time sitting affects our posture. This in turn results in pain and discomfort in our feet, ankles, knees, thighs, hips, back, etc. More than that, it affects our overall well-being.
Sitting in one position for a long time will ultimately affect your blood circulation, your muscles, your metabolism, and so on. But being inactive is not only bad for our physical health, but also for our mental health. All of this can cause anxiety and stress, fatigue, impatience and annoyance. Plus, when we are in pain or uncomfortable, our minds can stay calm. So, sitting working on our computer, sitting with bad posture, will affect our ability to focus, our creativity and productivity, and overall performance.
An ergonomic computer footrest can be the answer to a lot of these problems. Essentially, it helps align the posture, makes your sitting more comfortable, eases discomfort and alleviates pain and improves blood circulations. This is because it will keep your body in an upright posture and your legs won’t hang uncomfortably. For best results, of course, you should of course use it with an ergonomic chair. You should also think about a height-adjustable table because alternating between sitting and standing can make an even bigger difference.
Ergonomic Mouses and Keyboards
Working on the computer for hours can also be extremely harmful to your arms, hands, shoulders and neck. This is because it requires repetitive movements and because when something hurts, we tend to sit in a bad posture to compensate. So, after hours of using the mouse and the keyboard, we may start to hold our shoulders in an unnatural position, which can result in a lot of pain, and eventually, it may result in much more serious health issues.
Ergonomic mouses and keyboards are excellent alternatives to conventional ones because they can help you hold your hands, forearms and arms, and consequently your shoulders and neck in natural positions. Along with the ergon chair and the footrest, ergonomic mouses and keyboards can help you improve your posture drastically, not only alleviating your pain and boosting productivity but ultimately positively affecting your quality of life.
Monitor Arms and Stands
Even with everything set, your ergonomic chair and footrest, your ergo mouse and keyboard, if the screen is set in a way that makes you lower your head, you will still be in pain. Looking down at the monitor will result in neck and back pain, bad posture, discomfort, which can increase the risk of all kinds of health issues, including heart disease, blood flow and blood pressure issues, etc.
When you are setting up your workplace, your goal should be to place your screen at eye level. This way, while working your shoulders will be relaxed, your chest will be out, and the weight of your head looking down won’t be hurting your neck. There are several different products that can help you achieve this.
Monitor arms are adjustable and flexible, which means that you can set them at any height you need. This is not only good for your posture, but it can be very convenient if you need to show something on your monitor to someone, or if you need to move. Alternatively, you can go for a monitor stand, which isn’t flexible, but it will still keep your screen at eye level.